PARENT TESTED! Cool Cuffs
Ultra cool and edgy, Cool Cuffs are thick, soft 100% cotton cuffs featuring intricate detailing and a rugged look. They also feature a snap closure to keep the cuff in place, while still being easy to wear and easy to remove. One size fits most ages 4 to 7 but this parent does confess that she could fit the Skull & Crossbones on her dainty wrist … and did indeed test it at 7th Street Entry on a recent Saturday night.
Cool Cuffs come in a variety of designs including blue flame, celtic weave, barbed wire, circle of skulls, ring of fire, camouflage, dragons, and spaceships. There’s something for every personality. areyouarockstar.com.
Win one! Minnesota Parent will be giving away a few Cool Cuffs. Email [email protected] and let us know what sports your kids will be playing this summer and if they are new to it or continuing on. Use Cool Cuffs in the subject line and include your address.
PARENT TESTED! Baby Comfy Nose
Oh, the sounds of grossed out parents when introduced to the Baby Comfy Nose Nasal Aspirator at a MNP staff luncheon. Parent does regret the bad timing. But, sales manager Melissa decided she was up to the test. Assignment: generate sufficient suction to quickly and effectively remove nasal mucus from her baby’s sinuses without it reaching her own mouth. The result? Apparently, more hilarity than mucus. When it didn’t work on baby, husband tried it on wife (who also had a stuffy nose). No luck there, either. Visit babycomfynose.com to watch a video of the process. BPA and Phthalate free. Plus, holding the mouthpiece between your lips frees up your hands to hold baby better.
Win one! Minnesota Parent has a couple untested Baby Comfy Nose aspirators to give away. Email [email protected] and let us know what books your kids love. Use Comfy Nose in the subject line and include your address.
BLOG OF THE MONTH Simplicity in the Suburbs
Have we heard something like this before? Says Samara Postuma, “I started this blog in the summer of 2005 as an unemployed, stay-at-home stepmom with way too much free time on my hands. (That is NOT a joke.)” Since then, Postuma has had quite a radical change in the way she blogs, and says her blog has evolved into more of a community and more of an outlet than she had ever imagined. She says she blogs because, “I like to write, I like to process and I like to remember. I want to share my stories. And remember them for my kids.”
Sample entry, for her daughter’s birthday: You are loved in an unconditional, incomprehensible way. You are sunny and warm and full of life. You brighten everyone’s day around you with that big grin. You live up to your giant grown up name with your big, blue, wise eyes. We couldn’t have hoped or prayed for a more content little girl who fills up our life. … May you continue to
be curious and continue to exude the overwhelming kind of happy. Please keep reminding me to slow down to enjoy the days.
Thank you for all the yesterdays, and all the tomorrows to come, but let me appreciate and enjoy
you today for who you are and where you’re at right now.
Check it out: simplicityinthesuburbs.com
CHEAP DATE NIGHT Third Thursdays at the MIA
Stop vying for a weekend babysitter and try a Thursday night date night instead. The third Thursday of every month you can experience the MIA’s diverse art collection through unique programs, drinks, and live music. As always, admission to the MIA is free. The next third Thursday event is February 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. Visit artsmia.org for more information. If you want to expand your evening, try one of the great dining venues along Eat Street, just blocks away. Might we suggest Quang Restaurant on 27th and Nicollet (delicious, and so inexpensive … get the #508 or the #310) or The Bad Waitress at 26th and Nicollet? That’s just two of many lining the street.
Baby Names 2010
In 2009, Aiden and Ella ruled the roost at parenting.com; Jacob and Isabella reigned on the 2009 Social Security list (ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). In 2010, parenting.com again named Aiden for boys, but Sookie usurped Ella for girls, pushing that name to second place. At Social Security, names were not yet published as of the writing of this blurb.
Predicted for 2011? Parenting.com, which bases its info on its search engine hits, is forecasting Genevieve for girls, which has been ascending over the past few years, due to its combination of “quirk, class and elegance”; the site was hedging bets on boys names, however, citing Liam, Avery and Aiden (again) as top contenders.
Does Your Daughter Need a Brownie Badge?
The Minnesota History Center is offering the exhibit “Open House: If These Walls Could Talk” with a museum guide, allowing brownies to discover the stories of the families who lived in one house in St. Paul’s East Side for more than 118 years. Play games that the children who lived in the house played. Learn about Minnesota women who have made a difference and act out their stories using puppets Brownies make and take home.
This workshop completes the requirements for the Brownie Girl Scout Listening to the Past badge. Workshops are Feb. 12, March 12, April 9, and May 14 from 10:30 to noon. Fee: $10 girls, $5 adults; Reservations: required, call 651-259-3015 or register online at tickets.mnhs.org/.
