March 2011 Blog Posts (28)

ENROLLING NOW FOR SPRING SESSION!

The Montessori “Parent & Child” program is offered one morning a week for families with children from 18-36 months in age.  Children will participate in age appropriate hands-on activities in a nurturing and stimulating classroom and outdoor environment. This is a wonderful way to nurture your child's budding independence as they prepare for preschool.  Parents will gain hands-on experience with Montessori-inspired activities…

Some of you know who I am, and a lot of you I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet!

I want to share what OC Mommies means to me. I grew up here in Orange County, I have all of my friends and family here, but when I was pregnant it became really important for me to make friends that I could share the experiences of motherhood with, as well as give my son a community of friends to grow and bond with. I jumped into OC Mommies with both feet, always connecting with members, going to…

There are a lot of scary things going on in the world right now. Some parents wonder how best to handle their child's fears.

Some children seem more prone to fear.  They may be the child who doesn't like to be away from family or home, the child who startles easily or may have disrupted sleep. They may be the kind of child that takes time to warm up to a new situation. They may be a child with a rich imagination, that they use to scare themselves.

Whether it is due to…

Check out this article on children and tax deductions

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41138522/ns/business-tax_tactics/

All babies are beautiful and they are the most beautiful in their mother’s eyes – and we agree!

This is a free photo contest that is purely for fun and not a beauty competition. The photos will be judged on the originality and the quality of the photo. The more unique your photo is, the better your chance is to…

Introducing TaraSierra Photography

the Sponsor and Judge for our "All Babies Are Beautiful" Contest!!

 …

All over the news we have seen footage of the dangers of high levels of Radiation exposure in the wake of the recent crisis in Japan. Many families have been asking me about the potential risk that radiation has on breastfeeding mothers? What if this happens to us? I posted an article on this topic at justbreastfeeding.com that explains.

 …

So today I went down to OC Tykes in San Clemente to check out some strollers with the intent to "try one for a day". I had originally thought I would be trying the Baby Jogger City Select but after a couple of phone calls with Kelly, the owner, I decided that it probably wasn't the stroller for me. I really liked it's ability to convert into a double but Kelly had informed me that it wasn't lightweight (which I was looking for) and that the seats weren't very tall. Since my daughter is…

Here are a list of the 2011 Easter Celebrations we found in the area. Feel free to add a comment if you know of more

Aliso Viejo Grand Park

April 16 9:00-11:30am

Egg Hunts

- Visits with Peter Rabbit

- Face Painting

- Bounce Houses

- DJ Entertainment

- Arts & Crafts…

New guidelines say 2 years. See article below

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/21/car.seat.guidelines.parenting/index.html

I was recently on vacation in the Hawaii Islands when the tsunami hit. It made me think about the importance of breastfeeding during natural disasters. As the devastation is unfolding in Japan it is becoming more and more relevant how resourceful breast milk is in time of crisis for babies and toddlers. Many people feel that donating cans of formula may help aid these babies. However, in tsunami struck areas, where clean water is hard to come by, feeding babies artificially with baby formula…

When I was pregnant, I was always worried about how much weight I gained, if I was gaining too much to fast, etc.

Hindsight, the weight gain didn't matter, it was more important to eat the right foods, stay healthy and active.

But while I was pregnant, I did use this pregnancy weight gain calculator to make sure things didn't get out of control. For the most part, I stayed right in line with its recommendations.

Click…

This is an interesting study done by the Pew Research Center. The study reports those parents from Generation Y are more dedicated to parenting those from Generation X, who rate a successful marriage as their first priority.I'm interested to hear what everyone else thinks. Please post a comment below if you have an opinion either way

Here is the excerpt from the article

"Today’s 18- to 29-year-olds value parenthood far more than marriage, according to a new Pew…

Check out this super cute Easter Cupcake Kit on www.emilys-collection.com . Love it!!!!!!!

Dress up your homemade cupcakes with Easter characters as delightful as a children's storybook. Embellished with imaginative details, these decorations are made for us by an award-winning paper…

It's important that parents education themselves on the current reccomended vaccinations given to children. Here are two great sites to explore

The Center For Disease Control and Prevention. Here you will find the current recommended vaccination schedule for children

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/child-schedule.htm

Dr. Bob Sears, a well-known pediatrician in Orange…

Here is an excerpt of great article by healthychildren.org on starting to feed solids

"Most babies are ready to eat solid foods at 4 to 6 months of age. Before this age, instead of swallowing the food, babies push their tongues against the spoon or food. This tongue-pushing reflex is necessary when they are breastfeeding or drinking from a bottle. Most babies stop doing this at about 4 months of age. Energy needs of babies begin to increase around this age as well, making this a…

Last week was my daughter's 2 year wellness check with her pediatrician. This appointment was a little different than the ones we have had in the past. Well, for one, no shots.. thank GOD! But, second, a good portion of this appointment was centered around toddler behaviors. Her pediatrician asked about tantrums, sleeping, eating etc. I told her about the occasional playdate where my daughter didn't want to share her toys and the occasional whining and sass that comes along with a 2 year…

If you have a toddler you won't want to miss this!!!!!

Sign up through http://www.pretendcity.org.

Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Series Dates: Tuesdays, April 12, 19, 26

• Is what my child doing normal?

• Why does…