Julie (bundle’s founder) made the news last week for her ‘unusual’ way of educating her 3 little kids. Straight up school isn’t for everyone;)

Check out the video here.

Jealous

Small town living is great for raising kids for lots of reasons. But you just don’t get fabulous inventive places like this to munch on farm fresh salad while your kids play with inventive gorgeous toys. Huge sigh. Can someone franchise this business model so that it can work in smaller markets? Especially in the wintertime, a nice space like Bumble would be a game-changer for the stay-at-homers.

 

via Oh Joy

Best Toys Ever

If I get one more holiday shopping email! Even my website hosting company is trying to promote some 12 days of christmas buying spree. I have officially had enough of companies trying to convince me to buy buy buy. So I loved this: The 5 Best Toys of all Time, by Jonathan Liu on Geek Dad. Top 5 include: stick, box, string, cardboard tube, and dirt. Yup, it doesn’t get any better than that.

"How long is a piece of string?" by Flickr user izzie_whizzie. Used under Creative Commons License

Holiday Rush + Little Kids

Kids are so so receptive to our pace and mood. Extended family, long to-do lists, activities ending for the term, and travel prep can exacerbate the demands of parenting graciously. Because not only are we dealing with all of these things, but our kids are sensing this and often respond by acting out and pushing boundaries – just when we are least equipped to deal with it!

You can look at parenting like a giant pain in the ass, or as an opportunity to find your highest self in the service of others. To find the quiet in your heart amid chaos. To learn how to listen, and to learn that listening is usually enough. To slow down and open up to your kids.

I enjoyed this article by Megan Tietz of Sorta Crunchy, When Parenting Means Steering Into The Skid.

GuavaMitts

Sharp baby fingernails + uncoordinated arms = a scratched up face.  Not good.  While I would stick a sock over my baby’s hands, that always looked a little unsanitary, and they would pop off constantly.  GuavaMitts has come up with a super cute, eco, and functional solution.

These mitts are made with Bamboo and Organic Cotton so they are super soft & anti-bacterial.  The bright cotton prints are stimulating for baby’s developing vision.  The fasteners are both velcro and elastic so that they double stay on and adjust to fit form newborn – 6 months.  Cute.  Available in single and 2 packs.

Tips for Air Travel With Kids

Traveling time is here, and as someone who has flown and driven from coast to coast with a growing brood, I have a few tips.  Traveling with little kids takes a little prep both mentally and physically.

1) Stay cheerful: if you treat the airport like a fun place your kids will be more easygoing too.

2) Pack snacks:  this is a big duh, but still worth mentioning because sometimes the act of corralling your kids in a line to buy a nasty sandwich will put you over the edge.

3) Keep a candy in your pocket: the cost benefit analysis on a lollipop vs the stress of pissing off your 200 fellow air travelers is a no-brainer.

4) Ask for help: airports are full of people with nothing to do. Put that morose looking teenager to work!

5) Don’t feel bad if your kids are loud: your job is to take care of your kids, not everyone else.  Don’t pile guilt on top of the huge task of trying to entertain your toddler or get your baby to sleep on the plane.

6) Wear your baby if you can.  A sling or mai tai can keep baby snug and help them fall asleep on the plane.  And obviously when you hands are filled with bags it is hard to have a free hand to hoist a baby. Warning-most flight attendants will make you untie your baby during take-off and landing.

7) Go easy on the toys.  I have found that the books and toys that I pack usually don’t get played with.  Your life will be easier if you have less to carry; I pack one slim book and one tiny toy.  A little blow up ball to roll around the terminal is fun for any age, and easy to tote.

Too Much Praise

I find research on kids behavior fascinating.  Most recently I read this article in the New York Times, called Too Much Praise is No Good For Toddlers, by Jenny Anderson.

In brief:

“Now, new research shows that too much praise for children as young as 1 to 3 can have negative repercussions down the road. (How did I spend my morning? Cheering on my 1-year old for the triangles she was putting into the triangle slots, and lauding my 3-year-old for clearing her plate.) …

In Dr. Carol Dweck’s previous research, she’s showed that praising children for their intelligence or abilities often undermines motivation and hurts performance. Kids who are told they are smart care more about performance goals and less about learning. Kids praised for their efforts believe that trying hard, not being smart, matters. These kids are “resilient” and take more risks.”

Breaking the praise reflex can be tough, and some parents struggle with what would fill up all of those interactions.  The key is just turning off the judgments.  In those moments when my kids come to me with a picture, I just look at it.  And when they come running to me with a she-did-this-to-me problem, I just listen.  Little people regularly surprise me with just how much curiosity, motivation, and social skills they have, and the beauty of it is that it is innate to them.  A parent’ job is to give your kid the space to honor and express herself; which is hard to do if she always has one eye on her mom to see if she approves.

A great book about this topic is Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn.

Fashion Forward Maternity Trunch Show & Launch Party THIS Saturday

Not super psyched about the cute maternity clothing price tags?  Enter  Fashion Forward Maternity that lets you rent those same fashion for a fraction of the price.

Among the brands they carry are Maternal America, Japanese Weekend, Olian, James Jeans, Jules and Jim and Seraphine.

Fashion Forward Maternity is having a launch party and trunk show on THIS Saturday 10/29 from 11am- 5pm.  There will be food and drinks, plus a photographer on hand to snap pics of you if you + your belly/baby if you wish.  Bundle will be contributing a door prize of a Pretty Pushers Birth Gown.

Show up!

Location is the Fashion Forward warehouse, 1370 Miners Dr. Unit 110 in Lafayette, 80026

Indoor Playspace for Kids

I was just starting to panic a little bit about what exactly we were going to do this winter, when I got this news:

Playdates at The Loft is now open at the 29th st Mall next to Laudisio’s restaurant.

Ozo coffee, play structures, and couches.  Yes, yes, and yes.

Open Mon-Fri 9-1, $5/kid, $3/crawler, adults are free.

Babywearing Hike TOMORROW Thursday 10/14

Family Babywearing Hike with Belle Baby Carriers, more info here.

Thursday October 13th, 10:30am at the Bobolink Trail (Just west of the intersection of Baseline and Cherryvale Roads in Boulder.  This is a great trail for kids!   Flat, a bit of water, a good mix of shade and sun, lots of birds and wild grasses, plenty of places to stop for a snack.  My kids love hiking the Bobolink, and we will be there – the weather should be fine and I would love to see you there!

Come out and join like-minded parents for a light hike!  All ages and abilities welcome. Belle Baby Carriers will be hosting this hike in celebration of International Babywearing Week. For those that wish to try a Belle Baby Carrier, the company will have an assortment of carriers to use during the hike.