Give me a High Five!

Reading is big in my house. It is our end of day downtime and my girls hate to go to bed without it. They are both still at the age where we do most of the reading but my 4 1/2 year old is starting to read. One of her other favorite things is getting mail - her own mail. My parents and family know this and accommodate her often with postcards from their travels. Still nothing compares to when she gets her own magazine in the mail - "just like Mommy" she says. Highlights for kids is great, really great. But now they even have a magazine for the pre-readers called High Five and we love it. She is getting a little old for it but has now decided it it her favorite "read it myself" tool. So now I think we will have to get a subscription to both - one for her to read to us and one for us to read to her.

Order Highlights - http://www.highlights.com/jump.jsp?itemType=CATEGORY&itemID=260
Order High Five - http://www.highlights.com/shopping/product/detail2main.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=2116&iProductID=2116

If you can't promote yourself...

I really do hate it. But it has become a must do. I am so busy with MommyMixer that it seems silly not to tell all readers about it (all three of you :)). For those of you who don't know I ma the City Manager for MommyMixer in Columbus and we just had our 5th event and it want great. The catch-22 is this. Moms LOVE it once they are their. The survey results (anonymous) of course are amazing. But it can be pulling teeth to get them there. I know $100 is a lot (grrrr recession) but really it is worth every penny. Once moms have attended they ALWAYS agree. We will not have another event until the end of September due to school being out all summer. I hope by then I have figured out the way to work the magic so that families understand what an amazing resource this is - like speed dating or online dating we make it efficient, personal and EASY.


If you are still looking for a babysitter – why not meet 15-20 at once?

When it comes to parenting challenges, finding a reliable, trust-worthy babysitter ranks up there with getting into a good preschool and potty-training. That's the genius behind MommyMixer®. Attend a MommyMixer event in your city, and you'll meet a schmorgasborg of high-quality college students looking for part-time babysitting jobs. It's face to face, so you can instantly make connections and scope out the candidates who would be the best fit with your schedule and children. Then, at then end of the Mixer, we'll even give you a comprehensive copy of The Babysitter Book™ full of sitter résumés so you can contact your favorite candidates to set up follow-up interviews. And voilà - parenting challenge conquered.

www.mommymixer.com

What I am loving right now - Part 2

I am almost as addicted to strollers as I am to diaper bags and birthday t-shirts (see past posts if this does not ring a bell). But in this instance, I am far more diligent about research. It's a lot like the way I am about cars. My friends gave me HELL when I decided to hand over my "I am still a cool mom" card and go for a minivan. They even kidnapped the new ride and pimped it out to such an extreme, that when I saw it I nearly peed my pants. With that said, I am not really a car person. If Consumer Reports gives it an A and it has all of the gizmos and gadgets I need for the kids, I am golden. By the way for all of you with our much more stylin cars - I LOVE MY MINIVAN!

So you can imagine that though I love amenities on a stroller, I love practicality more. And that, my dear readers is why I must extol the virtues of our (not so new anymore) Graco Ipo www.gracobaby.com/catalog/product.aspx?modelNumber=6C00LTE&subCatId=27 umbrella stroller. I needed something fast and easy for the 1 1/2 year old in my house who hates being in a stroller, but at times still must. The Chicco we had from my older daughter was only OK and on it's last leg. Now I am sure most of you did not even know that the Honda of strollers (Graco) had an umbrella stroller - but they do. It is newish and available at both www.target.com and www.babiesrus.com. Best part is that like most of my cars - it is brown. What is better than a stroller in the same color as the dirt your kids will put all over it? I have been very happy thus far with this stroller. Though, I must confess that the sunshade is a little short and does not always cover my daughter's face well enough. But that is truly my one and only issue. The price is right, decent storage underneath, easy to open and close, easy to buckle, light enough, carrying strap attached. All in all an A in my book!

Bla, bla, blog

There is nothing quite like blogging about blogs. Seems almost redundant. However, I would feel selfish if I were not to share two new favorites. Keep in mind that I have never before written about a Columbus based blog or company for that matter. So it makes me proud to be able to do so. Check out this guys blog all about the best places for breakfast. Makes me hungry and jealous all at once. I want that much free time I tell you.

breakfastwithnick.blogspot.com -

He is witty, informed and best of all he loves my favorite meal of the day.

Another great one, super chock full of information from news about Columbus to additional foodie reviews is columbusunderground.com.

What am I loving right now - Part 1

Since we have just gotten thought the holiday season I have several kids/mom products that I am ringing in the new year with. You will all (or at least the "all" of you who spend too much time acting like virtual maps for me) be thrilled to know that I did receive the Garmin Nuvi 200 http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-n%C3%BCvi-3-5-Inch-Portable-Navigator/dp/B000NVZE5M
for the holiday's (g-d bless the in-laws) and I am obsessed. I have even been using "Kit" (named both for the Night Rider talking car and b/c she sounds a lot like a Kate) to get to places I am totally familiar with. I love the she tells me if there is a better way to get there. She is also a welcome addition to my kids entertainment in the car. They love to predict what she will say next and they think she is just too funny. This model is reasonable priced, can be moved from vehicle to vehicle, speaks out loud so you never have to unsafely look at the screen. It does not say the streets by name like some of the more expensive models, but that has yet to be an issue for us. Kit and I are fast BFF's and I think this will be a long term relationship.

Another place to find me

This is shameless self promotion I know. I am quoted on page 55 of the February issue of Parenting magazine. Does it count as your 15 minutes if it's in print? How do they measure the length of time that counts as? I hope I get a few more, b/c I am pretty sure I have a few more tricks up my sleeve.

she's baaaaaack.....

I am bad, I have no excuse. Life gets in the way. But, with that said I am back!