If you are looking for stilletto recommendations, you are in the wrong place. I need to be able to run after my kids without falling on my face. Want to know your smartphone's metapix? Sorry. I only write about whether it can survive 5 minutes in the hands of my kids.
I love spring. What is not to love after a wet, snowy and cold winter in New England.
I love the lighter days, the brighter sun, temperatures above 50 degrees, the sound of birds, the sight of flowers, cute easter baskets, yummy chocolate eggs, colorful jellybeans, and super soft snuggly stuffed bunnies!
Recently, I came across the most adorable stuffed animals. With the sweetest faces, they were super soft and just perfect for my little baby boy’s first Spring. The product line was from a company called Jellycat.
Established in London in 1999, Jellycat is a leading creator of high-quality, luxury soft toys. Their product meets or exceeds EN71 (European Testing standards) and ASTM (Amercian Testing standards). So Jellycat stuffed animals are made to last. Yet, they are super touchable with such tender little expressions that melt your heart.
There are little ones and big ones, fluffy ones and smooth ones, and every possible friend-imal you can think of; frogs, giraffes, dogs, cats, alligators, monkeys, bears, cows, elephants, lambs, and of course, bunnies! With a constantly changing and ever expanding collection of warm fuzzy friends, from rhinos to rats, there is a Jellycat for everyone out there.
There are collections of Jellycats with fun names. There are Pipers and Puddings, Snuffles and Slapajacks, Junglies and Bunglies. Sizes range from 10 inches, 12 inches, 15 inches and 24 inches with prices from $10-$45. You can find a great selection online or at local retailers like Isis Maternity.
I am a huge fan of unique ideas. I mean, who isn’t. When the uniqueness trends into eco-friendliness though, you’ve got an exceptional idea.
I stumbled across a company called Botanical Paperworks when I was looking for my son’s baptism invitations. It is a Canadian based company that sells paper that blooms into flowers.
Botanical Paperworks has cards ranging from wedding invitations, birth announcements and thank you cards at $2.50-$5.50 a piece. Depending on your price point, that may be pricey or reasonable. However, they also sell favors at $1-$2 a piece, which can be the perfect thank you gift for your guests. The cards come with plantable paper embedded with wildflower seeds. When you plant the paper in a pot of soil, the seeds grow into colorful wildflowers including bird’s eye, poppy, snap dragon, black eyed susan and more. (Some holiday cards are embedded with white spruce seeds.) The paper is made from 100% post consumer waste collected from eco-minded schools and businesses in the company founder’s home town in Canada.
In addition to favors and cards, they have some great gifts too. I especially love the Yummy Card set. The card set grows six different herbs when the card is planted. Each card contains a recipe for a tasty dish using the corresponding fresh herb. Card set includes: Basil (pesto), Parsley (tabouleh), Chive (chive mashed potatoes), Dill (dilled salmon), Sage (sage and lemon cookies) and Mint (minted green tea). It’s a, well, yummy gift! They have other gifts like plantable journals and calendars. Definitely a must see!
I ultimately went with a plantable favor for my event. (A little blooming momento of my son’s baptism!) The Holy Communition or Baptism favors have a plantable paper, on a card, in the shape of a cross. Yet they also have graduation favors with plantable paper in the shape of a graduation cap, birthday favors with paper in the shape of a cupcake, Bar Mitzvah favors with a plantable star, and baby shower favors with a plantable teddy bear, bib, onesie, heart or butterfly. You can customize the message and choose the ink and paper color. Paper colors include pink, white, blue, yellow and green, and ink colors range from green and brown to blue and red. (Please note there is a minimum order of 25 for the favors.)
You can place an order on the Botanical Paperworks website. (They are super easy to work with and you can review a proof before your order is finalized). Or you can check out Creative Papers at 17 Lakeview Avenue, Natick MA. The number is 781-239-9943 or send an email to creative.papers@verizon.net.
So excited to see the reaction of my guests when they see these favors, and it is nice to know that these favors will add a little a little more color to this Earth.
As an aerobics instructor (currently on baby hiatus), I have to be recertified every two years. This includes a myriad of CEUs and a recertification in CPR. This is the year I need to submit all my requirements so I can continue to count in a series of 8 and tell everyone ‘they can do it!’
This time around, I went to a CPR class at Newton Wellesley Hospital. In the past, I would go to the Heartsaver CPR Class, watch a video, breathe into a plastic mannequin, collect my card and go home; glad for the refresher and glad I have not yet had to use what I have learned. Yet this time around, I had a different perspective; that of a Mom.
I have taken this class countless times, but this time I looked at the video and training materials with ‘Mommy Eyes’ and this is what I took away from the training.
1. Program ICE as a contact into your phone. This stands for “In Case of Emergency”. Emergency responders are trained to look for this in your cell phone or smartphone when you are unresponsive. Include the contact numbers (and the names!) of your spouse or other family members. Include medical information, the name of your kids and any special instructions. If you are unresponsive, they can call your children by name, call your spouse and know if you have medical allergies, etc.
2. This day in age, you may worry that someone, who should not have this information, can get their hands on it. To protect yourself and your family, but still provide key information to emergency personnel, teach your children their “Special Superhero Names”. Be creative. Then teach them to give their real information only if it is a real police officer or firefighter. In an emergency, responders would rather have the real names (William vs. Super Macaroni-n-Cheese Boy) but as long as you have real numbers to family or doctors and they know the code names, they can assess the situation and provide details to the emergency responders.
3. Place a sticker or tape a notecard to the base of your child’s car seat or booster seat. Include your child’s name, pediatrician, medical information and emergency contact information here as well.
4. You should have similar information in your child’s diaper bag. Get an inexpensive luggage tag (or a fancy one if you wish! Ju Ju Be has cute ones) and insert relevant info. Or in some diaper bags, there is a little photo holder. Place the emergency contact card here. I mean, how often do you have people look in your diaper bag at a photo? Make the space more valuable by using the space for contact details (or put the emergency info on the back of the photo at least).
5. Insist on having caregivers (this includes the grandparents!) be trained in CPR. Not only can they be prepared in an emergency, but you learn valuable tips regarding SIDS, cutting up food for children, and more. As my Mom has been saying over and over since my son was born, ‘They didn’t have this when I had you”. My reply? “Now they do”, and there is a reason for it.
6. Get trained yourself. Forego a pair of pants or a new pair of shoes and spend $40 to take a CPR class yourself. You are better prepared for your children, your spouse, your own parents, and your children’s friends that come over to play. Worth the money and the time.
7. We hear it all the time, but we forget to do it. Put contact information next to, into or on your phone. Program the pediatrician’s number, the local hospital’s number and the police and fire station’s number into your home phone. Put a sticker on the phone with the same numbers or place a magnet on a fridge with details. You may think you will remember, but in an emergency, will you? Heck, when I am late and running out the door in a tizzy, I can’t remember where I put my keys!
8. Think about putting your street number on your house and curbside. Many communities no longer have street lights and often we shut off our house lights when we go to bed in the evening. Make it easier for emergency responders to find your home in the dark. Have large house numbers. Make sure you spruce them up every couple of years with fresh paint. Consider putting your street number on a mail box, a curb or a post near the street if your home is set back and would be hard to see the numbers in the dark.
These are just a few ideas for you to consider. Always check in with your local police and/or fire department for how your community handles emergencies. We often think nothing bad will happen and often we are right. For me, I rather know that regardless of how the cards fall, I know what to do and can help others do what they are trained to do. Should you?
There are collections of Jellycats with fun names. There are Pipers and Puddings, Snuffles and Slapajacks, Junglies and Bunglies. Sizes range from 10 inches, 12 inches, 15 inches and 24 inches with prices from $10-$45. You can find a great selection online or at local retailers like Isis Maternity.
home; glad for the refresher and glad I have not yet had to use what I have learned. Yet this time around, I had a different perspective; that of a Mom.
