Maclaren Umbrella Stroller Recall

Maclaren, the popular stroller manufacturer, has issued a recall of all of its umbrella strollers sold in the US due to possible finger amputation. Since these strollers are so popular, we wanted to make sure you knew.

Yard Sale

After needing to do it for several years, we finally hosted a yard sale a few weekends ago. Yard sales are a great study in human nature. I’m amazed how people looked through our stuff and knew that our old drapes or tchotchkes would go perfectly in their house. We heard more than one person say that they had no idea where they were going to put something but they were going to buy it anyway. People were even buying gifts for their children or in laws. Our sale certainly brought truth to the “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” saying. My husband and I had trouble hiding our delight and shock when someone bought the meat slicer we were given as a wedding gift. (Yes, I said a meat slicer as a wedding gift.) There was also a raffle prize lamp won at a golf tournament that someone was so excited to buy and we were excited to see go. People bought linens and mugs, books and exercise equipment.

The biggest surprise was that no one even looked at the two Michael Jackson Thriller albums that we had for sale. We even placed it out front as a marketing ploy to no avail.

Our yard sale might be over, but we still have fabulous prices on a pair of roller blades, several putting mats (because for some reason we needed 3 at one time) and an electric towel warmer. Act now!

--Green Mom

The Fall

It’s that time of year again: time to clean out the closets and figure out what fits, what doesn’t, what we need to buy… and then to hit the post-back-to-school sales.


I picked up my daughter from school and tried to talk up the big night. Won’t it be fun, you’ll get to try on your snow pants!!?!? It worked. She was very excited to get home and get to work, and she had a plan, “first I try on the winter clothes and then the fall ones.” And no, I don’t think it was due to the fact that I promised an episode of Curious George if she cooperated.

She ran upstairs the second she was inside the door and out of her shoes. I was in the kitchen talking to my husband and unpacking the somewhat still full lunch box when we heard the crash. Then we heard the screams as we raced up the stairs. She had opened all six drawers (3 on each side) of her bureau at once and it came crashing forward. Miraculously, the open bottom drawers stopped it from falling all of the way to the floor and crushing her. She walked away with nothing more than a sore hand. I’m not sure who was more traumatized by the event, me or her. Through the tears and sobs she said, “I wanted to try on my clothes!”


She got to watch 3 episodes of George. Guess what we are doing tomorrow? Anchoring the bureau to the wall and then delivering 2 giant bags of clothes to the consignment store and Good Will.

-- Commuter Mom

Release Yourself From the Guilt of Not Buying in Bulk

On a recent day in my house, I happened to realize how ubiquitous plastic wipes containers are in my organization system (and I use the term organization lightly). They primarily end up holding craft/art supplies or small homeless objects but I decided to look around a bit to see exactly where I had them and I realized they are my go-to storage container. How did I live without them before children? What will I do when my youngest is potty-trained? So not chic, but free!

But I have also used them for a few things other than storage so I thought I would throw those in the list. So for those of you who look at those wipes containers and think, jeez, I feel like I could use this to hold something something, here are 20 ways I do (and have in the past).

1. To hold my daughter’s hair clips/ponytail holders.


2. To hold Barbie clothes.


3. As a self-assembled first aid kit for my trunk.


4. As a container for puzzles whose boxes have collapsed. Tip: cut two small pieces of the original box and tape one to the top and one to the front so it’s identifiable.


5. As a home for boxless crayons. (This container lives in my road trip/restaurant/overnight bag so we can color whenever we want to.)


6. As a makeshift piggy bank. (Tip: If you take off the top lid, that inner lid acts just like the money slot on a piggy bank. When first implementing an allowance system, you can create spend/save/donate containers. )


7. As a container for paint when painting the trim in my house.


8. To hold nail polish bottles and mani/pedi supplies so they all stay in one place.


9. In the craft closet – for embroidery thread, for acrylic paint, for beading supplies,
   for wooden beads that I bought for a project and never used them, for glue sticks,
   for barrettes waiting for ribbon to be attached, for random tools I needed but have
   no place to keep.


10. As a container for countless types of screws/nails/tools.


11. To hold the “fourth C batteries” we never need.


12. To hold batteries waiting to be recycled.


13. To hold seasonal utensils – corn on the cob holders and seafood crackers.


14. As a container for decks of cards.


15. As a container for homeless sidewalk chalk (does anyone else go to parties where they give a couple of pieces of chalk in the goody bag?)


16. As a coupon holder (this happens every New Year when I make a resolution to cut coupons.)


17. To hold cookie cutters


18. As a container for vegetable/flower seeds we didn’t use.


19. As a way to pack food for a road trip. It makes a great way to hold lunches with cold drinks and snacks! (Obviously everything should be self-contained within the wipes box). It keeps things from getting soggy and squished, and they stack nicely in a cooler.


20. To hold plastic utensils leftover from various parties.

Does anyone else have these all over their house?

-- Crafty Mom

In Boston, the Rain, Rain Won’t Go Away

Maybe you’ve heard that in Boston, we’ve just had the rainiest June on record since 1903. And the first few days of July have not shown any improvement. I simply can’t look at the pool as half full right now. All I want to do is rant, so here it goes:

1. At first we made the best of it. We built forts, baked cookies, visited the local museums. Now we are simply stir crazy. Our new play structure is teasing us through the misty windows; our hammock looks like it will take three years to dry out.
2. My son asked me this morning why the clouds haven’t stopped crying.
3. I used to live in Seattle. If I wanted grey skies and frizzy hair every day I would have stayed.
4. I am tired of my friends in other parts of the country complaining about the heat. I would rather be looking for ways to escape the heat than trying to come up with yet another rainy-day activity.
5. My kids are going to grow out of their bathing suits before they’ve even had a chance to wear them.
6. We were going to camp out in our backyard, make s’mores, and explore local hiking trails this weekend. Instead, we will probably be making forts, baking cookies, and exploring local museums…again and again.

So please, please, if you have any ideas of how we can brighten our spirits that have become so very dampened, let me know!

-- Modern Mom

CONGRATULATIONS!

A huge congratulations to Green Mom on the birth of her second child. Enjoy the sunshine with your newest addition!!

We would also like to welcome Crafty Mom to Mom to Mom. Crafty Mom is a working mom with two girls, both crafty in their own right. At their house, craft supplies outnumber all other toys and games 3-to-1. In their free time, they’re always working on a project, sometimes something as simple as painting quahog shells and sometimes more elaborate like making their own paper mache puppets. In between, they draw and knit and sew and generally just create. In this space, she’ll share fun projects that they have come across and hopefully inspire others to get creative with their children!

Modern Mom: Birthday Present Challenge

My son is turning 7 next week, and for the first time I’m coming up dry on ideas for a present. Maybe it’s because for the last 11 months or so he’s been talking about what he wants for his birthday, and I’m not really on board with any of his requests. He’s asked for a bunch of different computer games – some handheld and some for the Wii. I’m not against computer games in principle, but I’d rather get him something that doesn’t specifically encourage more screen time. He’d also love anything Star Wars related, but frankly the three light sabers he has seem to cover that category sufficiently. So what do I do? Do I get him what he’s asked for or try to come up with something original that he will love? Any ideas?

Modern Mom: Summer Swinging

Yesterday Green Mom wrote about her travails trying to find “safe sand” for her son’s sandbox, which got me thinking that I too need safe sand for my kids’ sandbox. But first I need a sandbox. And I also need a new swing set, slide, climbing wall kind of play structure. The one we inherited when we bought our house is fairly dilapidated, and though the neighbors have yet to complain about the shrill shrieks of the swings, it’s only a matter of time. I’m a very decisive person, but the decision of which play structure to get is throwing me for a loop. My husband suggested he build one. The only problem is that I would like to have it before my kids graduate high school. We’ve looked at Craig’s List and E-Bay on one end, and explored brand new sets from Cedarworks and Creative Playthings on the other. I want it to last for years to come so I’ve come to terms with making the investment. The problem is that most of the sets are available online, so we don’t have the opportunity to see and feel them ahead of time. I’m wide open to suggestions, so if you have any, please let me know.

Green Mom: Flea and Tick Meds for Pets

The EPA has recently increased its scrutiny of flea and tick control products for pets. Apparently many of the well known flea and tick repellents pet owners use may cause the animals to have adverse reactions ranging from skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and, in some cases, death of the pet. I guess I never really thought about flea and tick repellent as being a pesticide, but that’s exactly what it is. I think I’ll be searching for a more natural repellent to use on my dog from now on.

Green Mom: IKEA

My family spent Sunday afternoon at IKEA. My husband wanted to enjoy some of their famous Swedish meatballs so we spent some time in their restaurant (which is really more like a cafeteria). While there, I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of disposable items. We ate off of real plates, used real silverware and drank from real cups. There were no little cups for ketchup or salad dressing; you were expected to bring your items up to the food bar for condiments. There were paper napkins and disposable straws, but because of all the reusable items, we didn’t feel as guilty about using them. Throughout the store, there were recycle bins for paper next to each of the trash cans. We even picked up some great recycling bins for our house.

I think whoever created their carts should invent strollers for kids. The beauty of the IKEA cart is that not only does it go forward like a regular shopping cart, but it goes side to side. Wouldn’t it be nice to do the same at the mall or to make room for someone on the sidewalk? I think I might be on to something.

Commuter Mom: Eye Contact

We had to use the urgent care/after hours services at our pediatrician’s office last weekend. Everyone is fine, but Commuter Girl needed to get checked out, and it couldn’t wait until Monday.

So, Sunday night, we headed out to the doctor’s office and saw a family practitioner who is a member of our network. If I hadn’t felt like it would be an inappropriate time to give feedback, or that my daughter’s care may have been compromised by my comments, here’s what I would have said to Dr. A during our visit.

Don’t hide behind your laptop. You came into the exam room and didn’t even look at us as you sat down and started typing and searching on your computer. The first 5 minutes of our time together you seemed to be browsing through what I am guessing was some kind of medical resource or a database of symptoms. Or, were you updating your Facebook status while we were telling you what was going on with our daughter? I know this wasn’t really a “clear cut” case, but you gave me no confidence in your ability to diagnose my daughter. You spent no time getting to know us or making my daughter comfortable with you. It’s no wonder she wouldn’t stick out her tongue and say “ahhhh” when you asked. Technology is great -- and I love the fact that all of our doctors are in the same network and can easily pull up notes and information from each other. But, there is a time and a place for your laptop. You are treating a person. Put the laptop aside for a moment and talk to me.

Modern Mom: Favored Party Favors

My kids absolutely love the party favors they get at their friends' birthday parties. They tear open the bags before we even make it to the car and start digging into the candy. They are downright gleeful over the plastic toys, though they’re all usually lost in the bottomless pit of our car before we make it home. I, on the other hand, am not a huge fan of said favors. I prefer to decide if and when my kids get candy, and the toys seem like a waste. So when my 4-year-old daughter was celebrating her birthday this weekend with 20 of her classmates and friends, I wanted to think out of the bag, so to speak. I did some searching on the Web and found a great site, www.teacherwide.com, that has a huge array of books and other educational materials at a great discount. My daughter and I are both big fans of the Charlie and Lola series and we found a few different choices on the site. I was able to get two books per child...at the SAME price I would have spent on the party bag. Wrap them together with a big bow, and voila, a beautiful party favor that child and parent can both appreciate.

Crib Notes: Ceiva

Digital photos can be uploaded to the Ceiva site – the photos are then automatically downloaded to a digital picture frame. What a great way to keep grandparents up to date with pictures of your children.

Green Mom: Testing the Water

On the way to a recent doctor’s appointment, my son decided to dirty his diaper just as we were arriving. Since the doctor’s office was inside a hospital, I figured there would be a changing table inside the lobby bathroom. Wrong! So I looked around thinking I didn’t want to change him out in the open (it was a dirty diaper if you catch my drift), nor did I want to put him on my lap or the floor of the bathroom, so I placed him on the narrow piece of counter between the two sinks and hoped no one would come in. While I was in the process of discovering the wipes in my bag were mostly dried out, and balancing my son’s body on the counter, he nonchalantly waved his hand under the sink. Because it was a motion sensor sink, the water turned on, getting his arm and sleeve all wet. Thinking it was fun, he kept doing it over and over until his diaper was changed. Needless to say, we wasted a lot of water and needed an outfit change too. You would think a hospital of all places would have an easier, more sanitary place to change diapers.

New Mom: Gone Baby Gone

I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow, nearly two years have passed since my daughter entered this world. She is almost officially a little girl. She drinks from a regular cup, can peel a Clementine, knows her middle name even though we never use it, and actually understands that no matter how good her gummy vitamins taste, medicine is not candy and she can only have it once a day. She orders me around “Mommy, sit in the big chair right now!” and adds a “please” when I ask her how she can say it more nicely. She has friends of her own to invite to parties and on play dates. She knows her letters and can sing entire songs on her own. She can see right through me when I try to trick her into drinking milk by offering it in a juice box and telling her it’s “special juice.” She warns me to “be careful Mommy” when I’m carrying too many bags or the sidewalk is covered in snow and ice. She has preferences for what clothes she wears and wildly protests unsolicited offers of help when putting on her coat, hat or mittens – or anything else. She tells us when she “needs space” or orders us to “walk away” in an effort to use her words when she’s angry or frustrated. She is growing up into a smart beautiful girl full of personality. She can do all of this and yet I still occasionally pine for the tiny little baby who never gave us a full night’s sleep, spit up all over me a dozen times a day, and gave me heartburn every time I had to bathe her alone. Everyone keeps telling me kindergarten, the prom, and college applications are right around the corner. Why can’t I just stay on this block?

New Mom: The Portable Pantry

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but as I searched for loose change in my purse earlier today, I thought perhaps I should have resolved to quite literally lighten my load by removing some food items from the bag I carry with me everywhere.

Today’s inventory reveals the following edible items from my purse:
- 1 container of 7 wheat-free, dairy-free Fig Newmans
- 1 container of one partially eaten wheat-free, dairy-free Fig Newman
- 1 container of 6 Ritz crackers
- 1 box of raisins
- 1 bowl of oyster crackers
- 1 pomegranate Tootsie Pop
- 1 caramel nut blast Balance Bar of questionable vintage
- 1 Ziploc baggie of graham cracker crumbs
- 6 cough drops
- 3 ½ loose pretzels
- Various crumbs of all sorts
- And truth be told, it would also include one no-sugar-added individual cup of Motts applesauce if it hadn’t punctured and leaked all over everything last week.

Leave a comment and tell us what delectables are in your purse/bag right now.

New Mom: Snow Letter

An Open Letter to my neighbors, my postal carrier, the UPS delivery team, and pizza guy:

I am sorry, oh so sorry that our sidewalk and front walkway remain covered in ice. You see, during the last snowstorm, when the snow melted and refroze, my husband was out of town. I was home with a sick child under the age of 2. We waited too long, and by the time I had the opportunity to sneak out of the house while my daughter was occupied with a TV show, the ice was frozen solid. I couldn’t budge an inch of it. It has snowed again since that time, and my very kind next door neighbor did snow blow the sidewalk, and I shoveled the walkway. We removed many inches of snow, but still couldn’t cut through the ice below. Now the temperatures are in the single digits, and I fear it will be weeks before we can further clear the walks. We have sprinkled sidewalk salt, but to no avail. I know when I was on my maternity leave, in the middle of the winter, I used to curse those of you who shoveled your sidewalks to within a foot of the neighbor’s house and then stopped. You would clear a lovely, but unusable path, when I, stroller in hand, would have to walk in the street anyway because I could not maneuver through the remaining small pile of snow and ice. Now I see you walking your children to school in the streets and delivering the mail, packages, and take-out dinners with a great sense of adventure because you haven’t seen concrete in front of our house for more than a week. I feel your pain. I am truly sorry. Look for me to make amends with some fantastic contributions to the block party this summer. With my sincerest apologies, NewMom.

Modern Mom: Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, Babies are from Jupiter?

My 6-year-old son casually asked me during breakfast the other day where babies come from. Seizing the teachable moment and hoping to buy some time, I asked him where he thought they come from, to which he replied very assuredly, “They come from Jupiter.” Uh oh…I thought, we have quite a bit to discuss. So I told him everything…and I mean everything. Taking special care with the words I chose, since my son is adopted, I told him how grown-up men and women (I must have stressed grown up at least 6 times) create babies. I told him how they grow in a woman’s stomach and how some women can grow babies but don’t know how to take care of them, while other women can’t grow babies but they know how to care for and love a baby and how all that makes families come together. The birds and the bees and adoption in one conversation; not bad. When I was all done, I asked him if he had any questions. “Can I go play with the Wii?” he wanted to know. I think he got way more than he expected.

That night I was at a party, and I shared the conversation with several friends. Everyone said I went overboard. They said I went into too much detail and a much more general response would have sufficed. What do you think? What’s the right age to tell it like it is?

Commuter Mom: Gum

My daughter has become obsessed with gum. I have no idea how she got hooked, but she brings it up all the time! She’s only 3, and we have never given her gum, nor do I even chew gum frequently. But, now it’s all she wants. If you ask her what she wants from Santa for Christmas: sandals, a toy apple…and gum. I wish I felt ok giving her gum, it would make for a very economical Christmas. The other day my husband asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. A doctor? No. An astronaut? No. A baseball player? No. Her response was “When I grow big and tall up to the sky I will have gum.”

I’ve asked a few people how old their children where when they first got gum. Most of them were very clear that it was a very special, supervised treat for a long time. My favorite answer came from our pediatrician. She said her mother told the kids they could not chew gum until they could whistle. Years later, I think while she was in medical school, she asked her mother what the logic was behind needing to whistle before you chew gum. Was there some developmental reason for it? The answer was no. Her mother just wanted them to learn to whistle and the promise of gum was all the inspiration they needed.

Modern Mom: Music to His Ears

When he was a baby we’d listen to lullabies from around the world or George Winston. As a toddler, we graduated to Dan Zanes, Free to Be You and Me, and favorite movie soundtracks like The Lion King. But somewhere between 4 and 6 years old, my son’s musical taste became all grown up. Now when we get in the car he asks for Radiohead or The Hold Steady. There’s no Top 40 for my first grader (which is too bad because we might be able to find something we’d both enjoy). No Britney Spears or Rihanna for him. He’s all alternative all the time. The other day he asked for Alkaline Trio and when I put in the CD he kindly corrected me by letting me know I’d turned on Arcade Fire. I know I have my husband’s musical influence to thank for this, and in some respects I’m proud that my son has such definitive taste and expanding knowledge. I guess I just hoped we’d get a few more years out of the kids’ songs. After all, who can’t use a soothing lullaby every now and then?