Playground for Parents

The 15 Minute Rule

2010-04-11T20:41:49-07:00

Whoever talks about "balancing" work and kids is lying, and should immediately be slapped with a wet diaper. There's no such thing as balance. It's more like prioritizing and re-prioritizing your life. At times, work will take the lead (like...

Boogers For Birth Control

2010-03-18T21:39:59-07:00

Amazing, and amusing, what we'll do as moms that we used to find utterly disgusting. We'll get poop on our hands while changing a diaper. And we'll talk about bowel movements with other moms more than we EVER thought possible....

Energizer Mummy

2010-03-16T15:08:41-07:00

1. Unlike her big sister (who in my distorted memory was the "perfect baby"), Munchkin does not consistently sleep through the night. It is particularly traumatizing right now because she's sick AGAIN (please don't get me started on daycare cooties)...

The Cars in the Carpool Lane

2010-02-28T23:10:01-08:00

I was sitting in my 9 year old car in the carpool lane at my kid's school. When you're sitting, and waiting, it's a great time to notice your immediate surroundings. Like the inside of my car. I took that...

Trader Joe's Recall

2010-02-12T23:10:12-08:00

How many times have I mentioned my love for Trader Joe's over the past year? Yea, it's right up there with my love for Target, reality TV, and all things chocolate. T.J.'s can do no wrong, even if they do...

Do Her Bowels Realize What Time It Is?!

2010-02-04T07:25:52-08:00

I should not be up at 1am, especially when I had just gone to bed at 12:45am. My husband should not be up at 1am, since he also just went to bed at 12:45, and has to get up for...

Giveaway! Cool Music from Rockabye Baby! TWO Winners!

2010-02-01T15:04:18-08:00

Our baby is 16 months old. And she listens to Queen, Guns n' Roses, and Aerosmith to go to sleep. Her dad and I thought we'd expose her early to the soothing sounds of rock. Makes great bedtime music, don't...

New Year, New Food

2010-01-29T09:40:40-08:00

I don't make New Year's resolutions because I think they are an evil trap, designed to set you up for failure and add to your "I Feel Guilty" list (which is already too damn long). But one thing I promised...

Last One Picked

2010-01-27T15:30:15-08:00

When we were little, what did it mean when we were picked last by our classmates for a round of baseball, basketball or beloved kickball? I just can't recall. I figure I was either so obnoxiously popular that it never,...

Haiti Relief: Quick, Easy and Compassionate

2010-01-15T17:54:20-08:00

You don't have a lot of time, or a lot of money. But, you have a big heart. Here are two quick and easy ways to help provide relief for our Haitian brothers and sisters in desperate need. I promise...

A Lesson In Her Death

2010-01-14T20:07:56-08:00

I've always said that the more people I meet and befriend, the more opportunities I have to enrich my life - to learn, to laugh, to relate to another woman and mom. But there's also a flip side to that...

Free Disney Tickets!

2010-01-07T01:38:00-08:00

You're generous, thoughtful, charitable, and you want to teach your kids the same important values. But you just don't have the time to involve your family in community service right now. I'm thinking you just need a little motivation. How...

I Heard Nothing

2010-01-05T13:34:20-08:00

This afternoon I was in the middle of packing up the outdoor Christmas decorations, disassembling the lighted trees and complicated reindeer (hoping that I remember next year how to re-assemble them), cramming oversized bows and wreaths into new overpriced plastic...

Giveaway! Kids Shoes from U*neaks!

2010-01-04T00:00:10-08:00

WHAT?! It has been almost two weeks since my last post?! WHY has no one emailed me to make sure I was alive, that I had survived my overdose of shortbread cookies meant for Santa; that I survived two kids...

Cookies for Santa

2009-12-21T23:44:08-08:00

QUICK! Just a couple of days to make those cookies for Santa, and you don't have much time because you're still searching frantically for Zhu Zhu Pets! Mama, don't you dare buy that tube of refrigerated dough that's nearly impossible...

FREE Personalized Video Message From Santa!

2009-12-17T18:13:00-08:00

Here's a great MUST-SEE website for all the little Santa-believers out there! Quickly type in your kid's name, their desired gift, upload a photo, and voila ~ a personalized video directly from Santa! My favorite part (besides that it's free):...

On the Naughty List: Enfamil

2009-12-13T17:49:01-08:00

I know of one company who may be getting coal in the Christmas stocking this year: Enfamil. I'll tell you the incredible reason why in a minute. But first, a bit of a personal tale, because, what's the point of...

Los Angeles Holiday Playdate

2009-12-08T21:51:04-08:00

Are you a mom? Of course you are (or are soon going to be), that's why you're here (well, unless you just have way too much time on your hands and not enough friends). Do you care about family homelessness...

Holiday Boob-Tube

2009-12-05T16:56:52-08:00

Grab the kids, the remote, and a mug of peppermint hot cocoa. It's the first weekend of December and that means Holiday TV! Great excuse for sitting in front of the tube and legitimately calling it family time. Also a...

Product Review: Frenchy Baby Organics!

2009-11-30T21:37:09-08:00

I use words like "delicious" and "scrumptious" to describe my baby. Not sure why. Maybe, like my favorite foods, it's because she brings me comfort and joy; just fills me up with goodness. Someone asks me how the baby is...