March 16th, 2012

St. Patrick’s Day Activities for Kids

Whether you are Irish or not, whether you can spell claddagh or you can’t, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day can be fun, as well as good cultural exposure for your children.

If you have younger kids, here are some fun ways to spice up the day. You can do some or all, or pretend a Leprechaun visits during the night. Here is a good backstory:

Explain there are Irish elves called Leprechauns who love (chocolate) gold coins so much that if they don’t find them in the house on St. Patrick’s Day, they will get mad and leave things a mess. So you need to capture one!


 
Have the kids make a Leprechaun Trap to see if they can trap a Leprechaun. Here are a couple of ideas, but anything they can think up and imagine is always a great thing too. Just find empty coffee containers, empty cereal boxes, empty oatmeal jars or empty shoe boxes, construction paper, tape or glue, scissors, markers or crayons, stickers, etc. Then use items like fake gold (chocolate gold coins are good), lucky charms cereal or anything that would ‘lure the Leprechaun’ to the trap.

Set up the traps before the kids go to bed and while they are sleeping, leave evidence behind like green confetti, maybe muss up the house a bit (or more so than usual!) Open some kitchen drawers, and leave green napkins hanging out. Turn over a chair. Maybe even leave Leprechaun footprints. Color the toilet water green pretending it must be Leprechaun pee-pee. (Kids love that!) Then hide chocolate gold coins around the house. When the kids wake up, they will see the empty trap, but the fun ‘destruction’ (and chocolate) the Leprechauns left behind in their hasty escape!

Here are some other ‘Lucky 7″ activities to do on or before St. Patricks Day.

1. Serve green eggs for breakfast.

2. Pack a baggy of Lucky Charms cereal for the lunch box or as a fun snack.

3. Wear green of course!

4. Make a Leprechaun Hat.

5. Make rainbows of colored paper or draw them with colored markers or crayons. Or make shamrocks.

6. Play Irish Music in the house.

7. Make Irish Soda Bread or Irish cookies (flavored with mint as an extra touch!)

An as an FYI, leprechauns are not the only Irish elves…they have lesser-known cousins called Clurichauns that drink too much and will ruin your liquor cabinet if you get on their bad side! (But that is a post for another day.)

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Many thanks to the awesome Metrowest Mamas’ and Charlene Chronicles’ fan Joy. Not only did Joy inspire this post, but she always takes the time to like my posts or leave comments on Facebook, which I so appreciate. Thanks Joy!

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March 16th, 2012

Mom Theories

My Quotes for the Month of March.

DogTip#1_CharChronicles

 

Mom Saying #1

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March 15th, 2012

Next Size Up Kids Consignment Sale

The Next Size Up Kids’ Consignment Sale will hold its biggest event on Thursday, March 29, 2012-April 1, 2012 at the former Borders Books on Route 1 in North Attleboro. Parents can shop from thousands of gently-used toys, clothing, baby gear, books, DVDs, video games, kids decor and more. (And save a lot of money in the process!)

According to Tiffany Miller, who co-founded Next Size Up, “Our shoppers are always telling us how impressed they are with the quality of our items. We have a team of volunteers who spend many, many hours looking at every single item we sell – they check clothing for stains and wear, test toys and make sure high chairs and strollers are clean and in good working order.”

Charity is another important aspect of the Next Size Up sale. Food pantry donations will be collected throughout the sale, and shoppers are encouraged to bring not only non-perishable food, but also diapers, wipes and similar items that benefit children. Consignors are also given the option of leaving unsold items with Next Size Up for donation to Cradles to Crayons, a charity that works directly with families in need. Furthermore, if you have quality, clean children’s clothing, shoes, coats, books and baby equipment that you want to donate, stop by the sale on Sunday, April 1, from 2 to 5 PM and it will be added to the Cradles to Crayons donation truck.

The consignment sale will be open to the public with free admission Friday, March 30, from 9 AM to 9 PM and Saturday, March 31, from 9 AM to 6 PM. Cash, VISA and Mastercard are accepted. On Sunday, April 1, many items will be marked down to half-price. Anyone bringing two items for the local food pantry for the Sunday half-price sale can get early admission at 9:30 AM.

A private presale will be held Thursday, March 29, from 7 to 10 PM with a $10 admission charge. (Active military moms and dads can sign up for free passes on the sale website.)

(*Note: no winner from previously posted giveaway as the required number of entrants was not reached.)

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March 14th, 2012

What is a Gender Reveal Party

Gender Reveal Party

With over 60% of pregnant women finding out the gender of their baby during the course of their pregnancies, Gender Reveal Parties and Gender Reveal Baby Showers are growing in popularity. It is especially popular for second time pregnant Moms looking for a unique way to celebrate the birth of other children. Since many second time Moms don’t get a baby shower for subsequent children (for obvious reasons), having a Gender Reveal party is way unique way to celebrate the joy of a new life.

Despite waiting to find out the gender of our first child, we wanted to know earlier with this baby and decided to have a Gender Reveal Party. Between space planning and other factors, including a health scare, we thought that it would be fun to find out in advance of the birth of this child. Yet, I wasn’t too excited with finding out in a doctor’s office, so this was a fun option I discovered.

The concept is that you have an ultrasound (usually standard procedure during the course of pre-natal care) and during that appointment the technician doing the procedure usually can tell the sex of the baby. However, instead of telling you, they write it on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. You bring the envelope to a bakery who then bakes a cake (cupcakes or even cake pops) with either pink or blue cake/frosting on the inside. You have a party, cut the cake and voila – you find out what you are having! Another idea is to give the envelope to a friend who buys either pink or blue helium-filled balloons and places them in a large box. Then you open the box and see what floats out!

We also thought it may be good opportunity to support a local charity. In lieu of gifts, we are encouraging our guests to bring a pack of diapers to donate to charity. Anyone who brings a pack, will enter to win a fabulous prize. We also suggested folks bring something pink or blue depending on what is their guess for the gender of this baby; if we find out the gender is a boy, we are going to donate all the pink items to charity or vice versa.

In reality though, as a Blogger, I live my life online. I talk about my pregnancy, my family and my dogs on this blog, on Facebook and on Twitter, to name a few social media spaces! So it seemed to be a natural flow to share this experience with my online family too. (That’s you!) So on the night of our own Gender Reveal Party, I’m also going to be sharing the festivities on Twitter, Facebook and this blog. The really cool thing is that anyone who follows the fun will be the ones to get all the presents! So click here if you would like to learn more! Trust me, you are not going to want to miss this!

For all of you who are pregnant – whether you are team green, blue or pink – may you all have happy, and healthy pregnancies!

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Image from Vintage Confections. Perfect place to order unique lollipops like those shown above for your gender reveal party!

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for this post.

 

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March 14th, 2012

Gender Reveal Twitter Party

After making the decision to have a Gender Reveal Party to find out the gender of this baby with which I am currently pregnant, it was a natural progression as a Blogger to make it a fun online event too. If you don’t know much about Gender Reveal Parties, you should definitely read my post here. However, I was so excited when Magic Beans wanted to partner with me on this online baby reveal event.

magic beansMagic Beans is sponsoring my online Gender Reveal Twitter Party! If you don’t know who they are, they are a baby gear and toy store with five locations in Massachusetts. If you don’t live local, they have an amazing online store too. Baby registries, birthday party registries, the best gear, the hottest toys; they have them. Which is why they are named in the Best of Boston Guide and on Boston.com’s A-list, to name just a few amazing accolades. Follow them on Twitter as they always have tons of magic happening at @MBeans. They are giving away some amazing prizes during the Twitter party too, such as this awesome set from Sage Spoonfuls and a goody bag with tons of items that will blow your baby-socks off.

Plus, I am so excited that the Best Baby Gear Guru Jamie (otherwise known as the @TheBabyGuyNYC on Twitter) is wrangling the Twitter party. Even though he appears on the likes of the Today Show, I am super honored that he will be here. His awesomeness will make the Twitter Party a blast! Trust me on that one.

punchbowlAlso, Punchbowl is giving away a $100 premium membership that we will give one lucky person during the Twitter Party. They have some fabulous online invitations specifically for Gender Reveal Parties and Showers (and other parties and events too!) Check out my post on the invitation I used and how the Punchbowl website has really helped with party planning. I am so excited that they are participating because they are a local company too. They are on Twitter at @Punchbowl.

Tiny Love – the amazing baby gear line – has donated a fabulous Twitter giveaway! Woot! Do you want to know what it is? Well, you’ll just have to read my post. But let’s just say it will get your groove on. (Hint, Hint.) Follow Tiny Love on Twitter at @TinyLoveAnn.

The spal-licious people from Spa Week are also sharing a $50 Gift Card with a Twitter Party participant because all pregnant Moms need some pampering too. Don’t want to wait? Then check out their listing of $50 spa treatments at participating spas across the country for Spring Spa Week (April 16-20)! Follow them on Twitter at @SpaWeek and @SpaWeekGiftCard

Another fabulous giveaway is from Sage Spoonfuls. I’m so excited about this one! This is an amazing company and product that you have got to check out. The Giveaway is their “Let’s Get Started Package” – a 19 piece ‘Made in the USA’ system with everything you need to make and store your own fresh, natural homemade baby food with ease!  It comes with the Sage Spoonfuls Book—Simple Recipes*Healthy Meals*Happy Babies, an Immersion Blender with a Food Processor, 12 BPA-free 4 oz Storage Jars, 1 Pack of 60 Labels, 2 stackable Storage Trays and a Pocket Guide. Totally BPA, Lead, Phthalate and PVC free! Follow them on Twitter at @SageSpoonfuls!

Happy Baby is joining in on the fun with their yummy baby and toddler products! They are giving away a yummy bag filed with Happy Baby goodies. Everything from their munchies, puffs, and squeezable purees (that are great for Moms too). If you can’t make your baby food, their products are great for on-the-go! You can check out my review here and follow them on Twitter at @HAPPYsuperfoods.

goldenview
There are other fabulous companies have been a part of the process- like Goldenview Ultrasound! They have locations in Boston, MA , Chicago, IL , New York, NY and San Antonio, TX  and offer prenatal 3D Ultrasounds and 4D ultrasounds. They are the ones that identified the goods of this baby, if you know what I mean, and you can read my experience here. They are giving away a free 3D/4D ultrasound to one lucky Mama-to-be during the Twitter Party! Check them out on Twitter at @Goldenview.

No baby party (online or in person) is complete without a lovable GUND. GUND is giving away a Nurserytime Lena Lamb to one lucky winner! This cuddly lamb’s head, body and mouth move as she recites 5 nursery rhymes to the little lamb in her arms. Lena comes with 3 replaceable AA batteries and features an on/off switch on her hand, and retails for $40. In addition, GUND will offer other great giveaway during the Twitter party such as a Lolly Giraffe, Comfy Cozy and Huggy Buddy (ladybug or bumble bee). Each retails for $25-$35. No matter what you win, GUND, a division of Enesco, LLC, is known worldwide for its top quality, soft and huggable plush designs and gift products. Award-winning GUND products appeal to all ages, from infants up, and are perfect for both play and collecting. For products, to purchase an item or to find your nearest retailer, visit www.gund.com or follow them on Twitter at @GottaGettaGund!

Every Mom has heard of MAM. (My son loved the pacifiers in particular!) So it is super sweet that one lucky Mom to be will be gifted with a fabulous basket of MAM goodies, like these:

Follow them on Twitter at @MAMBaby.

Whether you are a Mom now, or soon-to-be Mom, you will really appreciate not having to go to the grocery store the first week you bring baby home. But everyone needs to be fed, right? Which is why Peapod is the best baby gift. Order online while the baby is sleeping, and they deliver your order and put it away. How baby-licious is that? How about winning a Peapod $50 gift card. One person will win this fabulous new parent prize! Follow them on Twitter @PeapodDelivers!

Ooh, ooh (excuse me while I jump up and down), I just found out Treat Cupcake Bar in Needham is donating the cupcakes for my in-person party. They will be the ones to make the cupcake with either the blue or pink buttercream on the inside! Not only am I excited to see which it will be, and share the cupcake reveal with you during the Twitter Party, but I’m also excited to polish off one of those bad-boys! I wrote a review about them when they first opened and have been a big fan since. Follow them on Twitter at @TreatCupcake.

The details: the Twitter party will be on Sunday, March 25, 2012 from 8-9pm ET. Follow the hashtag #pinkorblue to win prizes, talk babies, gender reveal, registries and more. Follow me @CharChronicles, @MBeans and @TheBabyGuyNYC in order to be eligible for the giveaways! Of course, I’ll be posting lots of pre-gender reveal party blog posts where there will be even more opportunities to win goodies and get excited for the awesomeness so like my page on Facebook to stay on top of all the action! Including an opportunity to win a $100 prize by making gender guess on my post here!

So mark your calendars, set the alarm, stay connected and let friends (especially pregnant friends) know of the fun by tweeting using this link!

You don’t want to miss this!

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March 8th, 2012

Giving Your Child Everything They Want

As a parent it is hard not to give your child everything they want. It seems as if I am always saying no. No chocolate. No cheese. No throw. No touch. Luckily he is pretty choosy, so it is not often I do need to say no, even at the toy store, but tonight, as we stood in line for a free balloon in the Children’s Department of Nordstrom, I found myself wanting to give him more than a simple balloon. I wanted to give him the moon through a simple red balloon.

We were the last in line, and he waited so patiently for his turn. His little hands held together in anticipation. The sales person approached, holding a red balloon and a blue balloon in each hand. He gave my son the blue balloon and walked away with the red one to put it on display.

My son looked at his blue balloon and glanced with wistfulness at the departing red balloon. As we walked away, he clutched his balloon in one hand and held my hand in his other. His thoughts, I knew, were on the red balloon he left behind. It wasn’t that he wanted the red balloon over the blue balloon. I knew, in that moment, that he wanted two balloons. One for each tiny hand. His fingers clamped tight on his new prize, but his eyes were downcast.

Perhaps I knew what he was feeling as only a mother’s intuition can know. Perhaps it was all the no’s I had growing up in our tightly family budget, and remembering the feeling of wanting something, but knowing I couldn’t ask and shouldn’t want, as he was wanting, but not asking.

I glanced beseechingly at my husband, willing him with my eyes to see if he could get a red balloon after all. I wanted to give our son that little red balloon.

As we walked, my husband came up behind us and spoke my son’s name. As my son turned, he saw the red balloon in his father’s hands. His smile could have lit the room, but in actuality, he lit my soul. His happiness over two simple balloons was deep in his soul and thus, in mine. We may have given him a balloon, but it was he that gave us the moon.

Yes, I know I can’t always give him everything he wants. But tonight, I was happy that I could.

Balloons and Nordstrom

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Note: No other child was denied a balloon in our quest for an extra balloon.

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March 1st, 2012

Top Toy Picks

A couple weeks ago, I did a whirlwind trip to NYC for Toy Fair 2012. While it is actually a four day trade show, I went for a rapid 24 hours, with a couple of great pre-events thanks to Hasbro and

While I’ll be posting the highlights of what I thought were the coolest toys coming out later this spring and in the fall (yes, I got a sneak peek), I want to share toys that you can get right now. So if a birthday is coming up or other special event, I have some, what I think, are really cool picks.

I saw a lot of these at the Time to Play event last fall so my picks are based on interacting with some of these toys. But frankly, most of my picks are based on my toy snobbery and my Mom-stincts. Yet, I know that every child has different interests and parents have varying budget, which why I tried to select something for everyone and every wallet. From infants to tweens, I would love to hear what you think!

{Click the image below to be taken to Pinterest to see larger font and photos.}

Toy Insider

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March 1st, 2012

How to Make Snow Ice Cream

With snow finally falling here in the New England, it is time to pull out a fun winter tradition and make snow ice cream (even if it is March 1st).

I posted this in January last year when we were up to our highballs in snow (err…rather literally.) This time the pickings are slim, but gather what you can. It is a fun activity with the kids if they have a snow day or a fun afternoon after they get home from school.

For 8 servings, you need is 1 gallon of (clean) snow (about 16 cups), 1 cup of sugar (more or less to taste), 1 tablespoon of vanilla and 2 cups of milk. Put it in a large bowl. Mix it together until creamy. You can add flavors like peppermint oil or cocoa powder. Or you can add ingredients like M&Ms, crushed candy canes, or chocolate chips. Have fun with it!

Have the kids get the snow and add the ingredients, which are safe to handle. Have them play around with ingredients to see what unique flavor they can come up with. For older children, have them name their new snow cream flavor, and/or sketch a logo or design for their snow cream. For brave souls, set up a snow cream stand in lieu of a lemonade stand and see what happens.

Most of all, enjoy eating it!

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February 29th, 2012

Answering a Toddler’s Question

Question MarkMy toddler’s reasoning has really taken off. Everything is “Why?” Thus, I try, as the modern-doting mother that I am, to answer my toddler’s questions to the best of my ability.

I realized that approach, however, can backfire.

Being a boy, he is very interested in boy things. Cars, trucks, the remote control and yes, bodily functions. I believe it is ingrained into his very being. One day, when he..let’s say…passed gas, I told him that he did a “tootie”. Yet, I failed to explain what a tootie really was, as I soon realized he equated the act of tooting with either (a) an unpleasant smell or (b) the noise.

Thus, one day as we were out shopping and standing in a long checkout line, my stomach growled. My son, is his tootie-reasoning, loudly announced, “Mommy tootie’d!” I had to explain to him that the noise he heard was Mommy’s tummy, as Mommy was hungry, but not sure if the people behind me were buying it.

The next educational moment was when we were walking down the street. We smelled a foul odor wafting from a trash can. As we walked by, he yelled (as if I couldn’t hear standing next to him) “Mommy tootie’d!”

As this point, one may presume I have a major digestive problem.

As he continues to ask “Why” in everything, I now think more before I answer. As in, if I answer this question, how is it going to embarrass me the next time I go to the grocery store? Sadly, I think that, no matter how I answer his various questions, I have started the next chapter of my Mom life where I am constantly embarrassed by my toddler. However, I can look forward to the time when he’s a teenager and I can turn the tables on him. You know, when I pull out the baby book bathtub butt pictures.

{Hee Hee.}

So, how has your child embarrassed you?

 

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February 21st, 2012

Four At-Home Vacation Activities for Kids

While there are always scheduled school vacation events in your local community, sometimes the weather can thwart outdoor events. Or here in the Northeast, the standard winter break activities of ice skating or sledding are a no-go with our mild weather this season. Other considerations like budget, or even sick kids, can prevent you from taking even a local road trip to break up the daily boredom.

So here are four indoor, at-home, ideas to add some fun flair to any school vacation week.

1. Have an Indoor Campout. Lay out the blanket, sleeping bags and/or pitch a tent in the family room. Have hotdogs for dinner, and of course, no camp out is complete without smores. Hershey’s makes a great smores kit. Otherwise, use graham crackers, a chocolate bar (or even a chocolate spread like Nutella) and fluff. Turn out the lights, give everyone flashlights and take turns telling stories.

2. Have a Backwards Day. Let your kids wear their shirts backwards. Serve dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner. See what other backwards things they can come up with and try them out.

3. Create a Kid Oscar Party. Find old dresses in your closet or hit up a goodwill store for other garments and accessories. Set up a red carpet area with a video camera. Interview them and play it back on the TV or computer! Serve “Oscar” Mayer deli sandwiches. Then serve up some popcorn and pop in their favorite movie for a special screening.

4. Play Restaurant. Have them pick out the menu for dinner (or lunch). Go to the grocery store and let them find the ingredients. Back at home, give them crayons and paper to create the menus and receipts. Then have them pretend they are the head chef and cook the meal. Or have them be the waitstaff and serve Mom and Dad. (Remember to tip!)

What ideas do you have?

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