MOM CONFESSIONALS

My kids love bath time!  Not the washing up part, but rather the water fun.  Finding the right toys and removing the ick factor with them can be challenging.  We’ve had our share of squirt toys and lesson learned is that they’re fun for a little while but once they slime, it’s time to send the grime to the trash.  There are many great tub toys out there and here are some of our family’s favorite finds!

Boon Creatures Interchangeable Bath Toy Cup Set are perfect fun for my little man and not too boyish for my little lady.  These interchangeable cups lead to hours… okay until prune time… of imaginative play!

Yookidoo Flow ‘N’ Fill Spout is simply just fun diversion from the actual water spout and my wallet and lower water bill thanks the people at Yookidoo for this genius invention.  It is battery powered but cleverly waterproof for hours of play.  To keep this toy ick-free we recommend an extra minute or two run to ensure all the water has drained.  We’re also diggin the Yookidoo Stack ‘N’ Stream Tub Fountain which may become the forerunner as next new bath toy!

The newest toy to join our bath time fun is the Alex Jr Water Xylophone Bath Toy.  We’ve had many Alex Jr tub toys, but none have passed the ick test of time test, except for this one!  We’re happy to say this is a real keeper.  This Xylophone floats and detaches into sharable pieces and with its gentle pings, it’s music to these parent’s ears!

To hold all these gems, we adore our Kuster Bath Toy Pails.  We’ve got a him (ice blue & grey) and her (fushia & orange) set.  They are a two piece set that allows for proper water drainage and quick dry toys.  They’re also not to shabby on the eyes and fit in perfectly in our bathroom.

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I’m so obsessed with Sushi and all these Japanese, I might as well have been born Japanese.  In an effort to share that love with my picky eating daughter, we were lucky enough to attend Mái Cuisine’s Parent & Child Sushi Class.  A hidden gem in the craziness of 42nd Street,  Mái Cuisine sits on a quiet block, amongst other Japanese outlets, a mini-japan town some might say. They offer a sit-down restaurant and a grab-and-go Deli section.

I for one know that sushi isn’t for everyone.  Heck as a child I thought it was plain gross!  But the know-it-all in me just knows that if my child gave it a try…just once… she’d be hooked.  My daughter, my mini-me, also inherited my skepticism.  If there’s anyway to get your child to eat something new though, having them make it always works.  Chef Miki was on hand to show us simple, fun techniques for making our own all-natural, delicious sushi rolls from scratch.  Ava declared love the minute Chef Miki made a piece of sushi in the shape of a butterfly.

Ava had such a blast, in no time she was making sushi like a pro.  Ever so mischievously, she must have thought I was crazy that day as she was actually allowed to play with food — GASP! As expected Ava’s favorite is the Inari-Zushi.  It’s sweet and light.  A perfect introductory to Japanese food for your little one.  We found ourselves eating them as fast as we were making them.  At one point Ava had the little beggar girl routine down pat as she went table to table in search of another sweet fried tofu pouch to feed her habit.  It was a struggle to get her to save just one for her father.

INARI-ZUSHI RECIPE

Ingredients: 1/2 handful of vinegared rice, 1 tsp of sesame seeds, 2 inari pouches.

1. Squeeze excess water out of inari pouch (over a sink).  Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the rice.
2. Open the inari pouch and hold it in one hand.  holding the rice in your other hand.
3. stuff the rice inside the pouch carefully.
4. gently press the rice into the pouch, avoiding air pockets so the rice doesn’t come unstuck and fall out.
5. flip the pouch over and gently shape the pouch into a cylinder using your fingers to check that it is tight.
6. arrange any way you like on a plate and garnish with ginger (gari) if you’d like.

Mái Cuisine is located at 16 East 41st Street between Madison and Fifth Avenue.  They are open for lunch Monday to Friday from 11:30 – 2:30pm and dinner from 5:30 to 9pm.  Stop by and try some of their signature dishes like mouth-watering miso-marinated cream cheese, prosciutto box-sushi, matcha sweet dumpling in mango coconut soy milk and much much more — yum!

Check out Mái Cuisine’s Beginners Guide to Sushi and while you’re there, “LIKE” their page.

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This summer’s collection is full of 80′s inspired tops, ombre graphics, acid washes, rompers, neon pops of color, madras plaids, sunwashed fleeces, denim cut off shorts and sundresses.  Not only are the kids rockin this summer but so will this mom.  Come summer after graduation, I will be found beach side in some of my American Eagle favorites like the super soft Hampton pullover and the sexy sheer lace tank top.  Tying over my laid back summer look is American Eagles amazing line of accessories.  We’re particularly digging their eco-friendly tagged totes and their utility styled weekender bag.  It’s going to be a summer of love!

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Super Bowl for our family is a pretty big deal.  Every year we get all of our friends together and have our kid-friendly version of a tailgate party in our living room.  It’s become a tradition with photos every year since the kids were born.  While the boys always love a good game, I just love any excuse to have a party.

Super Bowl Tickets – You can reserve seats for the big game on StubHub – Ticket prices start at $2200 all the way up to nearly $400,000 for a coveted spot in the Hall of Fame Suite. If you’ve just won Powerball, then the Super Bowl Hall of Fame option is definitely for you. The best thing about Stub Hub is that fans are constantly buying and selling tickets on the site so you should keep checking back to see what’s available or hedge your bets, and lock in right now!

Flights – While you can always hit the websites for your favorite airlines, my suggestion is to head over to Trip Advisor where you can select whether you’d like to take a non-stop or connecting flight and they arrange everything by price. Plus, there are ratings by customers on which flights they prefer.

Hotel Reservations – Head on over to the Arlington, Texas website which has detailed information on hotels in the area. You can aim for the Ritz Carlton, Hilton or a motel (if you’ve blown all your cash on the Super Bowl tix.)

Rental Car – If you’re flying into Dallas/Ft. Worth airport, then head on over to RentalCars.com for a breakdown of all the rental car facilities near the airport. That way, you can choose from a diverse array of options and price points.

Parking – Finding parking at a football game is never easy, and the Super Bowl is no different. Luckily, ParkWhiz.com has the scoop on Cowboys Stadium parking with over 40 Super Bowl parking locations for you to choose from. The site is super easy to use, and you can print you parking pass instantly – no worrying if the Postal Service will deliver your ticket on time.

You can even win free parking for the Super Bowl by entering ParkWhiz’s Twitter contest. Follow @ParkWhiz on Twitter, re-tweet this link http://bit.ly/gBPrxv and be entered to win. One winner randomly selected.

Things to Do While in Arlington – If you’re in town for the weekend, visit the NFL Super Bowl website for details about some great charity events taking place throughout the weekend that feature appearances by NFL players. Plus, the City of Arlington’s official website also offers suggestions for attractions and dining options in the area.

So there you have it – treat your significant other to the ultimate “Man Date” and by the time Valentine’s Day hits, you should be on the receiving end of something big and sparkly.

{ disclosure: The post was sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer’s Network. }

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Oh my!  If anything can make me feel dated its when my daughter loves the same characters I once did as a child and then realizing they’ve turned 30.  Wow!  I may have subconsciously ignored all the signs too.  Strawberry Shortcake fever was everywhere I turned!  Our trips to McDonald’s became all about the toddler’s berry friends.  When Hasbro ran their amazing $10 off Strawberry Shortcake promotion, the toddler insisted on getting the Strawberry Shortcake RC Vehicle which she zooms and does circles around the infant all day long.  I really do love that they have RC toys for girls…Where were these when I was a kid?!…sigh!

Strawberry Shortcake’s 30^th anniversary kicked off with the all-new CGI animated television series “Strawberry Shortcake’s Berry Bitty Adventures” which premiered October 10th on the new kids TV network The Hub. The series follows Strawberry Shortcake and her five berry best friends Blueberry Muffin, Plum Pudding, Raspberry Torte, Orange Blossom and Lemon Meringue in the whimsical land of Berry Bitty City, a tiny world underneath the leaves of a berry patch. It may be small, but Berry Bitty City is big on fun and adventure. Together, they prove that little girls can do berry big things. There’s always something fun to do, and when someone needs help, her friends are always there to lend a hand.

One of my favorite things about the 30th anniversary initiatives is something very near and dear to my heart, Strawberry Shortcake is also give back this year through a new partnership with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). Together, they enlisted volunteers across the country to host Strawberry Shortcake Alex’s Lemonade Stands during September and October to help raise national awareness and support fundraising efforts for childhood cancer research.  All funds raised at these special lemonade stands went towards ALSF along with an additional $50 for every strawberry lemonade stand registered to be donated by American Greetings Properties up to $15,000.

For more information about Strawberry Shortcake and her magical fruit-filled world, visit www.strawberryshortcake.com or Facebook at www.facebook.com/strawberryshortcake.

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A little early… but a pleasant reminder of a day celebrating motherhood, the most amazing job in the world. The other day in my Sociology class, we watched a documentary called Motherland Afghanistan which really made me sad and yet grateful for the opportunities we have here in America that we often take for granted. The documentary was filmed and directed by a daughter who followed her father, a doctor, to their native country Afghanistan where he tries to help the women against devastating maternal mortality rates. I was shocked at some of the statistics. 50-70 Mothers die every day from complications of childbirth. 25% of Children in the country do not reach their 5th Birthday and 50% of those deaths are preventable and treatable respiratory infections and diarrhea. While those statistics are shocking, so are some of the cultural differences. It was difficult for me to watch and hear that a mother who suffered seizures from preeclampsia was beaten because she was thought to have demons. Her baby died during this brutal attack. The lack of medical services available to these woman were also horrifying and difficult to swallow. I watch as a mother gave birth to a set of twins, one stillborn and the other surviving only a few days simply because the hospital wasn’t equipped to handle a premature baby. The doctors always did the best they could but it’s heartbreaking to know if she was in America, this baby born at 7 months would have had a 95% survival rate. Some say that while being a woman in Afghanistan is bad, it’s worse to be a pregnant woman in Afghanistan.

With pregnancy on the brain, my heart cries for these women. Despite my history, I am so grateful for the medical attention, facilities and technologies that were available to me. I wish that every woman has the very same opportunities available to them. A few years ago I was introduced to Mercy Corps through my former employer who was the designers of the Mercy Corps Action Center to End World Hunger in Lower Manhattan. As I learned more about this amazing group of people who turn crisis into opportunities for millions around the world, I wanted to support their goals and help spread awareness. Their Mercy Kits enabled me to do just that. Some of my favorite kits to gift are the Children’s Health Kit for $35 which provides immunization, nutrition and health education for a child and the Women’s Small Business Kit for $45 which helps women for start businesses that enable their families to move from poverty to opportunity. This mother’s day, let’s help out a fellow mother and lift her up.

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During one of Ava’s playdates, the mother turns to me and says, “is it just me or do you want to kill your husband on a daily basis?” At that moment I had to laugh. Granted it was when our little ones were about 8-9 months old when still the majority of their care was still in the mother’s hands. I did remember the feelings of anger and resentment more often than not. My DH is an avid sports player and more recently in the past several years, an avid golfer. While I couldn’t get enough time with my daughter, it seriously perturbed me that he seemed to be running for the hills, aka golfing, every chance he got. It got so bad I use to calculate, in my sleep deprived haze, the proportion of time he actually spent with our daughter to golfing, working, or whatever reason I was annoyed at him for at that moment. I even admit to tagging on a few extra hours to make my point — which always fell on deaf ears. Then something always happens and makes me feel guilty…

DH, after working until 5am in the morning and picking his sleep deprived self to head to work yesterday, only to come home late as well, missed dinner with the family and barely made it home in time for Ava’s bathtime. Since the “I want to kill you” phase, DH has taken on the role of giving Ava her bathes every night. At first it was my imposed “time” with Ava, but I think they both began to relish her bath time together, it is their “thing”. While she doesn’t mind mommy giving her a bath, if daddy’s around, she’d much prefer bath time with him. Often with a “Go Momma, Go” and a gentle nudge to get off the stool for daddy to sit. He was able to enjoy a few minutes and wrap up bath time before work called again. I got little Miss Ava dressed in her ‘jamas as she beckoned for milk. As I nursed her, the little princess fell asleep. As I closed the door to her bedroom, DH came rushing up the stairs. I will never forget the look on his face when he asked, “She fell asleep?” When I nodded confirmation, he looked crushed.

I don’t know when exactly it happened, but over the last six months, Ava’s become the apple of his eye. I use to wonder if he ever felt the same immense love or connection that I felt to her. How I hated dropping her off to school, envied how she had no problem leaving me but looked forward everyday to picking her up from school because her greeting was just the most scrumptious ever! It felt like she genuinely missed me every day. Whenever the rare opportunity presented itself for him to pick her up from school, I wanted him to experience that moment. I never quite knew if he felt the same way I did about that moment, but I hoped. After seeing his crestfallen face last night, I realized he did. After a long day at work, he relished snuggling with his little piggy, he found the same comfort and felt the bad day melt away when with her.

So maybe today, while I still HATE golf, I want to kill him a little less =0)…

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It’s been a milestone week for Miss Ava. Starting with her transition to a toddler bed on Saturday. Amazingly the fears all parents have of their little one’s new found freedom were unfounded. After a success 4 nights in a row of sleeping in the newly converted toddler bed, she has yet to actually leave it on her own. Every morning still results in a call for “Momma!” I’ve even sat in our bedroom waiting to see if she’d come a running. After one 20 minute wait and nothing but silence, I peeked in to find her lying in bed silently amusing herself with her stuff animals. We’ve even guided her in her descent from her bed – yes, we’re actually trying to teach her how to get out on her own – and still no little visitor in the morning! Sigh!

You might be asking why exactly we chose the age of 21 months for the transition. It’s simply a matter of practicality. This milestone week also marked our commitment to potty training! I say this because we’ve been passively training. Now that we’re committed, we’re making sure that we are doing everything to ensure potty training success. So to make Ava’s access to a toilet easier, we transitioned to a toddler bed for the ease of exiting and finding her way herself. Of course this huge step also meant saying good bye to a few comforts and loves. Gone are her adorable footie pajamas and the new wardrobe of shirts and pants. Gone are the onesies, sadly the new 24 month pack will be going straight into the donation bin. Wish I had know just how to prepare. You’d think with the plethora of parenting books out there they’d mention this – haha! Note to self for #2, when preparing for Potty Training, say good bye to crib, onesies and cute little footed jammies. The funniest part about potty training is the unexpected. Who knew that Ava would hate the really cool Boon potty and opt for her cousin’s old Sesame Street Toilet Potty converter. Okay, maybe everyone else knew that Sesame Street would trump everything and I guess I could be proud that she’s taken recycling to a whole new level using her cousin’s 4 year old potty seat. Game on little one! Who’s got a few potty training tips to pass on?!

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I’ve been thinking that my posts, while are passing on things and knowledge that I find important and want to share, they aren’t very personal. You haven’t gotten to know ME. Here’s a peek into my life, right now…

While the stork has taken a pass on us this month, it’s got me thinking about my attitude towards being pregnant again. While I am probably more disheartened than I am even allowing myself to feel, I am taking my emotions in strides. Now that I am back in school studying to be a Nurse, I feel more informed about my body and the process it goes through during pregnancy. I won’t say it was all good. I’ll admit to tears streaming down my face in my Human Growth & Development class during a lecture on Genetic abnormalities, remembering our daughter Emma and suffering a minor panic attack which I hadn’t had in a long long time. Let me just say, Thank God no one noticed. At the same time I know I’ve reconciled with Emma’s death and the subsequent joyful birth of Ava. Each lecture brings almost a sociological learning about the process of creating a human being. It’s not just the simple egg meets sperm, or other way around if you like. It’s also about your lifestyle, the environment you live in, the care you take in yourself too. I almost want to say taking Human Growth & Development and even Anatomy & Physiology should be a pre-requisite for being a parent. I think I sometimes trust even the basics to my doctors. They use big words and ask you to trust them and why shouldn’t you? But at the same time, I feel it’s your body and you’re responsible for this womb that will be carrying your child, you should take the effort to actually understand what the doctor is saying. It is a little hard dealing with reality and I hate to dwell in the past, it sometimes it’s helpful in creating a better future. So while we grew up on J&J Baby Shampoo, we’ve learned our kids shouldn’t (unless they change the formula) and microwaving certain plastics (although I’d err on the side of any) leaches dangerous chemicals and toxins our kids shouldn’t be exposed to… If I’ve learned anything from my class is that we are at the top of the food chain because we live and we learn… Our body really is a wonderland! The process of being pregnant is an amazing one. Class lesson alert! Even if morning sickness is something we wish we could do without, I was amazed to learn it’s the body’s nature defense against terotogens. The foods we are most adverse to are the ones with the most potential for terotogens that could be harmful to the fetus. Amazing!

So while I’m a little sad that I’m not pregnant this month… trying to look on the brighter side of things, I thought to myself, hey if it didn’t “take” this month, I’ve got a good two weeks to eat sushi to my hearts content. Hey, it’s got good Omega-3 Fatty Acids, better for brain development!

Will you join me on this road to Baby #2?

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