When I was about 8 months pregnant with my first child, I was sitting in traffic one day and witnessed something that sent a shiver of cold dread through me. A tween-aged boy was skateboarding on the sloped carport roof of a nearby bank (yes, the roof!). I looked down at my swollen belly and pleaded with the little person inside to please, please, please be a girl. A few weeks later, in my child’s first act of defiance, he turned out to be, well, a he. A boy who, now four, wants a skateboard so badly it sends him into contortions of begging every time he sees someone gliding along on one…
Whether or not your kid is a kamikaze in the making, there are times as parents when we’re going to be called on to be the first responder to some childhood mishap. Below is a guide for some of the more common ouchies you’re likely to encounter. Of course, this list is no substitute for taking a good CPR and First Aid course, which you can find in your area by calling your local hospital or chapter of the Red Cross. (If you took one when your child was a baby, take a refresher!) The Red Cross has recently updated many of its CPR recommendations. read more
Why is it that baby’s food seems to get everywhere but in his mouth? That is why, as a veteran Mommy, you appreciate the virtue of a good bib. Since all bibs are not created equal, our Mom testers put bibs to the test, and here are the ones that cleaned up:
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Leather Mally Bib. These ingenious (not to mention adorable) bibs are made of soft, water-resistant leather so they wipe up easily and always look new. Use the same bib for breakfast, lunch AND dinner — no more digging for a bib in the laundry hamper. The magnetic closure is nifty because you can hang the bib on the fridge after mealtime, but it was a bit too easy for baby to remove. $31 at mallybibs.com. |
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BBibs. Sleeves on a bib — now there is a good idea. Even if baby likes to get hands on with her food, this bib will keep things tidy. Made from an absorbent terrycloth with three adjustable snaps to make sure you get a good fit. This one is perfect to stash in your diaper bag for when baby will be eating out. The only thing that would make this bib better is if it were made from a wipeable material. $19 at bbib-baby.com. |
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SugarBooger Peek-A-Boo Bib. These bibs feature a cute Peek-A-Boo cartoon that baby will love. The nylon-canvas material was a bit stiff at first, but we’re willing to overlook that since it seemed to resist stains (even red sauce). We loved the secure snap closure that ensures this bib stays put. $8 at chocolatecakeclub.com. |
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Baby in a Blanket Bib.. The best part of these hand-sewn bibs is the very cool retro-inspired fabric selection, and each bib is reversible so you get two adorable prints. This one will definitely see the inside of your washer/dryer, but that just means you don’t have to choose between the fabrics you like. Available in infant and toddler sizes. $12-14 at babyinablanket.com. |
When Stains Happen. Of course the idea of bibs are to prevent stains, but for the occasional mishap, be sure you’ve got your Magic Wand. This stain stick from Dritz isn’t fancy but it does a pretty good job with even the toughest stains. It even rescued one of my stained skirts that had already been through the dryer (oooh, aaah). $3.50 at amazon.com.
– Bettijo B. Hirschi
When you’re trying to eat healthy a salad is a good option… that is until you pair it with a fattening dressing. But unless you’re a rabbit, there is little joy in a bowl full of bland, dressing-less greens. So what’s a weight watcher to do?
Take heart, and try one of these new low-fat salad dressing recipes. Andrew Schloss, chef and author of numerous cookbooks has partnered with the Canned Food Alliance to create “Dressed to the Nines,” a set of healthy, easy-to-prepare salad dressings that not only ditch the fattening oil used in most recipes, but also sneak in extra fruits and veggies. The oil traditionally found in salad dressings is replaced with a puréed canned fruit or vegetable, cutting virtually all the fat and unnecessary calories.
“To put these dressings in perspective, consider that two tablespoons of an average bottled vinaigrette contain 150 calories and 16 grams of fat,” says Schloss. “Our dressings range from 14 to 46 calories per two tablespoons with a range of 0 to 2.5 grams of fat. Now that’s an ideal choice for any health-conscious American looking to get one step closer to getting the recommended 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables each day.”
The “Dressed to the Nines” collection offers 11 varieties of infinitely versatile dressings that are designed for salads, but also are great on pasta, or used as marinades, grill sauces, pan sauces, wraps and sandwich spreads.
I Can Bring Home the Cheese Sticks and Fry Them Up In a Pan
I went back to work a few weeks ago, which put me at the center of a cultural phenomenon. Much like that time I was sitting in traffic on the 101/405 interchange in Los Angeles at the very moment that the radio was announcing that it was at the top of the list of the country’s worst interchanges, I am now right in the thick of things again. Except this time I am not praying for traffic to move because I have to pee so badly. This time I just want everything to SLOW DOWN.
In the last month I have had one foot planted on either side of the great Mommy Wars of the new millennium: one second I was a Stay at Home Mom, and then at 9:30 on a Tuesday, in my new Land’s End No-Iron shirt, I walked through a door and became a Working Mom. I joined the other side!
I still don’t get what the big deal is with the Mommy Wars. It seems like the only people who are arguing for the merits of either side are the people who actually have a choice in the matter of going back to work or not. Everyone else simply must work to pull in enough money to make ends meet, and they are not at war with anyone besides The Man, which is a whole different fight. The moms who do have a choice and decide to go back to work are maligned by the ones who stay home, which I must say is a dirty way to kick a sister when she’s down. Aren’t we all in this together? Isn’t this what feminism was all about? The choice to choose it all? Enough, I say. SHUT UP ABOUT THE MOMMY WARS, already, and JUST DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU! Then at least we might be spared those ridiculous “news stories” on the Today Show or another Caitlin Flanagan book.
For me, the war is in my heart. I didn’t want to go back to work. I know the right choice for me and my family is for me to be a SAHM (because you get to watch Oprah every day but our bank account wouldn’t support that lifestyle for longer than a year. So here I am. Having taken a whole year off to care for my son, Kyle, I got pretty used to spending my time with him, and I never missed all the baggage that came with having a career. I also just loved sleeping in, taking long showers, walks around the park, and getting my hair and nails done whenever I wanted. And if you think that’s really what I did with my “time off,” then you haven’t had a baby yet. read more
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