An early playgroup. Audrey is the baby at the bottom left.

When I brought tiny Audrey home from the hospital almost 11 years ago, I was completely overwhelmed. I was suddenly responsible for this fragile, precious creature. Somehow I would have to not only keep her alive, but help her learn and grow for the next 18 years!

When she was two months old, I knew that I was going to have to find some support. It was wonderful that our families were supportive, but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to spend all my time with them. And Rich’s role was very defined: go to work, come home and help with Audrey. I had to learn to define my new role as Mommy to my cute little Audrey.

So I decided to pack my newborn up and head to the hospital where there was a meeting of a Nursing Mothers’ group. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I knew that Audrey and I were getting settled into our breastfeeding relationship and it would be good to meet other mothers who were on the same road.

And that’s where our group started. That morning, four other women and I decided to start a playgroup. Of course, I use the term extremely loosely, since the babies ranged from one month to five months in age. We started meeting, though, and laid our infants on pristine new blankets on the floor to “play” together.

Time passed, and the babies grew into toddlers who actually did play. But more importantly, we had each other to navigate the waters of new motherhood. We talked about everything. At the beginning, it was nursing, sleeping, and diapers. Later, it was potty training, new siblings, and preschool. We talked about our marriages, vacations, in-laws, and just life.

As our oldest kids started school, we started meeting once a month instead of once a week. And before we knew it, the headaches of big-kid scheduling caused our group to disband. But we had met for over seven years when it was all said and done.

The children may not remember the countless hours they spent playing together. But I think it’s safe to say that none of us will ever forget growing as mothers together.

This post was inspired by Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman. After being kicked out of her widow support group for being too young, Becky creates her own support group with an unusual twist. Join From Left to Write on February 14 as we discuss Saturday Night Widows. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

I have to admit, strolling the streets of Rome, London, or Paris sounds exciting. How about Sydney or Hong Kong or Barcelona or … the possibilities seem endless! It would be fun to walk to the market every morning for fresh food to cook for dinner. And how cute are kids who speak with an accent? It would be a great experience for all of us to learn more about how the world works firsthand.

But then I think about the drawbacks. I am used to living in my American, suburban house and I don’t know that I would want to move my 4, soon-to-be 5 children into a city apartment. Deciding what to take and what to get rid of…moving away from the only culture we know…these things would be hard. But most of all, I don’t think we could move away from our families. We see them often, and we are all very close. It would be heartbreaking for us, the grandparents, and the children to be separated by an ocean!

No, I think we will stay here. And for our exciting look at other cultures, we will continue to read all different kinds of books. But I am hoping that someday we will be able to take our kids to see some of the exciting things around the world. If Rich keeps on traveling for business at the pace he’s been doing, we are sure to have lots of frequent flyer miles to use!

This post was inspired by mystery thriller novel The Expats by Chris Pavone. Kate Moore sheds happily sheds her old life become a stay at home mom when her husband takes a job in Europe. As she attempts to reinvent herself, she ends up chasing her evasive husband’s secrets. Join From Left to Write on January 22 as we discuss The Expats As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

Image credit: Sesame Place

I know Thanksgiving is still a few days away, but in our house we have been listening to the Christmas tunes for a couple of weeks already. (Only when Daddy is at work, though. He gets tired of it if we start too early.)

On Saturday, we were given the opportunity to check out the opening day of Sesame Place’s special Christmas event, A Very Furry Christmas. Audrey and Georgia were away having some big-kid fun, so Rich and I had a special day with just Sydney and Joel. And special it was!

We got there right as the park opened, and while Rich and Sydney went right to the roller coaster, Joel and I enjoyed walking past the huge Christmas tree on the way to Elmo’s World Live, a show that brings the “Elmo’s World” segment of Sesame Street to life. While we have visited Sesame Place before, this Christmas-themed Elmo’s World Live was fun. Elmo’s “house” was decorated for Christmas, and there were all kinds of holiday-themed silliness.

Something I really appreciated about the show was that they took the time to explain what Christmas really means. There was a little clip of Prairie Dawn narrating a Nativity play, which I thought was an often-missed explanation in secular Christmas celebrations. Elmo also explained to the children about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

Then we were off to the rides and attractions. Sydney and Joel loved bouncing on Ernie’s big bed.

We rode on all the rides with little to no wait. It was a beautiful, fun day!

As part of our review visit, we were invited to a special Hot Chocolate Happy Hour, where we were able to get up close and personal with the characters. The kids loved it!

If you want to visit A Very Furry Christmas at Sesame Place, tickets cost $21.99 each and include a free second visit. Check out Sesame Place’s website for more information and have a Very Furry Christmas!

Disclosure: I was provided with free passes so that my family could experience A Very Furry Christmas at Sesame Place. I was not required to write this post, but I had to share our great day with you! All opinions are my own.

Last year, the American Association of Pediatrics changed their recommendation to encourage parents to keep their toddlers rear-facing at least until two years. This is great for safety, but not always great for parents’ wallets. With buying an infant car seat, in order to keep a toddler rear-facing, parents would have to buy a convertible seat for the time when a child was not old or big enough for a forward-facing seat. And we all know how expensive car seats can be!

But Graco has worked hard to bridge this gap for parents, and has recently introduced their newest car seat: the SnugRide Click Connect 40. This innovative seat is an infant carrier seat for babies as small as 4 pounds, but is also ready to handle a toddler up to age 2 (up to 40 pounds).

Graco asked me to review the new seat, which is currently available at Babies R Us. I went to the store to get it, and the man working in the car seat/stroller area was more than helpful. I had a lot of questions, and he was knowledgeable and friendly as he answered them.

Pros for the Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40

1. Parents can save money. Instead of buying an infant seat, a convertible seat, and a forward-facing seat, they could just buy this one and a forward-facing seat. This will save money, and also be more eco-friendly.

2. Having this seat makes it easy to keep your toddler rear-facing. You wouldn’t have to switch anything or make a transition at all.

3. This seat is just awesome. It’s hard to pick my favorite part, but I think it is the way the height of the harness adjusts. You know how, when your baby grows taller, you have to make the harness go through the higher slot? You have to pretty much take the whole thing apart and quick-rethread-the-thing-before-you-forget-how-it-went-together. Yeah. There’s none of that with this seat. Take a look:

Here’s the headrest inside the car seat. The light gray part is the cushy (removable) insert for your newborn. The dark gray part is the sturdy headrest which is attached to the harness assembly.

Now, stay with me, and look at the next picture.

See the square-ish thing at the bottom of the picture with the red button on each side? That’s how you adjust the harness. This is on the back of the car seat, and all you have to do is squeeze the buttons together (really easy) and slide up or down to put the harness in exactly the right spot for your child. No more re-threading and having your living room floor be covered in Cheerio dust because you turned the seat upside down! And you only need one hand! Can you tell I love this feature?!

4. My other favorite thing about this car seat is the base. Just like other infant car seats, the seat itself snaps into the base so you can take your sleeping baby inside without taking him/her out of the seat. But this base is made so that it can be used for bigger children. To the left, you see a picture of the adjustment thing on the base. There is one of these on each side. To give your older baby more leg room, just push down on the red button on each side of the base, and slide the whole thing back. There are eight positions to help your child stay comfortable and safe.

Now, as much as I think this car seat is completely innovative and just plain cool, there are a couple of things to think about. Not even cons, really, but considerations.

Things to take into consideration

1. The size of the seat. While I was at Babies R Us, I compared the size of the Click Connect 40 with other Graco seats. Although I have a minivan, I know that other parents with smaller cars may not have as much space as I have. When the base is set for a newborn, the Click Connect 40 seems to be the same size as the SnugRide 35 (which is the seat I had for Joel and never was a problem). When the base is extended for an older child, it does extend the seat a bit. Here’s the thing, though. It’s not much! (Maybe two inches!) If this would be a problem for your car, I would encourage you to go to Babies R Us and ask the people to help you try the seat in your car. That’s really the only way to know if any given car seat will work for you.

On the plus side, the car seat weighs the same as the SnugRide 35 (9.75 lbs).

2. The Click Connect system. This car seat is only compatible with the new Graco strollers that have Click Connect. This means that if you already own a Graco stroller, you will not be able to use the SnugRide Click Connect 40 with it to create a travel system. Of course, if parents are buying this seat for their first child, this is not an issue at all.

If you would like to know more about the SnugRide Click Connect 40, check it out online. There are videos that show how it works, plus lots of pictures and information about the seat.

SnugRide Click Connect 40 Giveaway!

One lucky reader has the opportunity to with your very own SnugRide Click Connect 40 (retail value $219.99)! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. This prize can only be shipped to U.S. addresses. Contest begins October 10, 2012, and ends October 31, 2012. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address. Alternate winner will be chosen if winner does not respond within 48 hours. Blog owner is not responsible in the event of a problem with the prize.

As a member of Graco Nation, I was provided with a SnugRide Click Connect 40 to facilitate my review. Graco is also providing the winner with a SnugRide Click Connect 40. All opinions are my own.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Two…

Three…

Four…

Five…

Due April 2013

I think she needs a few pointers...

Somehow, after six years in our elementary school, two older sisters with multiple friends who have younger siblings, three kindergarten classes, and five children at our school from her preschool class, Sydney has not one child in her class that she knew before school started.

Her best buddy, O, is in the classroom next door. And although she will be able to play with O at recess time twice a day, it’s just not the same as having a friend in class all day long.

I told her it was a chance for her to make some new friends.

But my slow-to-warm-up little Sydney looked skeptical.

So how can I help my girl make some new friends? We will have to have some conversations at home in the evenings, that’s for sure. Here are a couple of things I thought of to tell her:

1. Look for someone who’s playing alone. That person is probably wishing for a new friend and would love to play with you!

2. Walk up to that person and say, “Hi! I’m Sydney. What’s your name?” And Smile!

3. Ask your new friend a question. What’s your favorite thing to do at recess? Do you have any brothers or sisters? What did you have for lunch? What’s your favorite color? What’s something fun you did over the summer? Do you want to take turns going down the slide? Do you want to play in the art center with me?

4. Or if that seems too hard, just smile at the person and say, “Can I play, too?”

Sydney is one of those kids who sometimes takes a long time to get comfortable in a new situation, but once she’s comfortable, she pretty much runs the show. I know once she gets to know a couple of her classmates, she will have a great year. I just have to not worry about her and encourage her to be the friendly, fun-loving girl I know she is.

How do you help your child make new friends?

How far would you go to advocate for your child? In January First, father Michael Shofield and his family struggle to find the right treatment for his daughter Jani, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at six years old. Join From Left to Write on September as we discuss the Shofield’s memoir January First. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

In Golf, as in regular golf, the object is to be the player with the lowest score. We play nine hands, like you could play nine holes of golf, but you could choose any number of hands to play. The point value of the cards are as follows: Queens and Jacks are ten points each, number cards are the number on the card, Aces are one point, Kings are zero points, and Jokers are negative two points.

Deal each player (up to 6) nine cards, face-down. Remaining cards form the draw pile. Players arrange their cards, without looking at them, in a three-by-three grid. Each person flips any two cards face-up, keeping them in the same position.

On the first person’s turn, draw a card. If you would like to keep that card (if it has a low value), you can either trade one of the cards that’s face-up and put that card into the discard pile OR you can trade it for a card that’s face-down. In that case, flip the face-down card, replace it with the card you’ve drawn, and put the card you just flipped into the discard pile. There is some risk involved here, because you might get rid of a great card. But sometimes you just have to do it.

Play continues to the left. The next player can either draw from the draw pile, or take the top card from the discard pile.

As the game goes on, if a player has an entire row of the same card (for example, three fives in a row), that entire row is removed from the grid. This is key to having a low score. Once there are only two rows of three left in your array, then you only need two of the same value of card in order to eliminate another row.

It’s possible to end the game with no cards left in your array!

When one player’s cards are all turned face-up, that signals the last round for everyone else. Each player (except the one with all cards showing) will get one more turn. When all players have completed their final turn, any cards that are still face-down are flipped up. Calculate your score and record it.

The player with the lowest score after the designated number of rounds wins the game.

This is a great game for kids to develop a concrete understanding of negative numbers, as well as practicing simple addition facts. We have been amazed at, after numerous rounds of Golf, Sydney’s ability to calculate her score. She has learned to add 10 to any single-digit number, subtract 2 easily, and has mastered counting on as an addition strategy. The symbols on the number cards really help with her addition understanding.

Does your family like to play cards? What games are your favorites? We are always up to learn new games!

Learning to boogie board is an important way to fight off that summer slide!

Here in the Philadelphia suburbs, summer vacation is about halfway over. Even though stores have been selling back-to-school supplies for weeks (and we’ve already stocked up), we still have all of August to enjoy together before our girls go back after Labor Day.

But, of course, we want to avoid the dreaded Summer Slide (duhn duhn duhn…).

So how do you keep your kids’ brains from turning to mush, while still letting them be kids and enjoy their summer?

In summers past, I have taken a very structured approach to summer learning. But after a difficult fifth grade year, Audrey was feeling quite burnt out with even the idea of learning. Besides the social stress she was under, her teacher was a very cut-and-dry type of person and there were a lot of workbook pages completed over the course of the year.

So as soon as school let out, I told Audrey that she wasn’t allowed to do anything academic until after the fourth of July. She really needed that break to let her mind rest. And of course, reading isn’t academic to her!

This summer, both girls were sent home with a summer packet of work to complete. They were told that it was “optional,” but we told them that it is not optional for them. I want them both to start out the year on a good note with their new teachers. Georgia started her packet right away, as Sydney was happily working in her “Bridge” workbook (she is at the age where she looooooves workbooks, and it was on sale for $5!) and has only one page left to go. Audrey, after much rolling of eyes, has finally gotten a good chunk of hers done, as well. I told her that I would like her to finish up this week, so she has a good chunk of time left during the summer to not worry about it.

Besides the assigned work, I think the best way my girls have been keeping their little brains sharp has been through our library summer reading program. They love going to the library at least weekly (but last week we went twice) and competing with each other for how many 20 minute blocks they have colored in on their book logs. We all have summer reading goals, and we are plowing our way through them.

Audrey and Georgia were involved in a summer kids’ Bible study through our church, which was another great way to keep them thinking in a not-school way. They each had a kids’ devotional book that they worked through each week, complete with Bible verses to look up, questions to answer, and puzzles to solve.

Also through our church, Audrey and I joined a mother-daughter book club. Each week, we read a couple chapters of Body Talk and then meet with other moms and daughters to discuss our thoughts. It’s helped open up some discussions for us, as she is entering those awkward adolescent years and needs to feel comfortable with the changes she will be facing.

Learning to cook is another thing my girls work on during the summer. Yesterday, Audrey baked rocky road brownies from scratch. The other day, Georgia made our dinner. It was mac and cheese with cantaloupe, but a girl’s got to start somewhere!

Finally, we’ve been introduced to a great card game that has helped our girls keep up with their math facts. It’s called Golf, and you need two decks of regular playing cards, including the jokers. I did a quick Google search, but didn’t find our exact variation, so tomorrow I’ll just tell you how to play. It’s fun for the whole family, even 5-year-old Sydney is able to play without help. And she often wins!

My girls are fortunate not to struggle academically in school. Even so, I want them to start off the year fresh and ready to learn. I think by maintaining a culture of learning in our family year-round by encouraging them to ask questions and read a lot, they will have a great start to the school year.

How do your kids keep their minds active during the summer months?

As long as he's drinking milk with his donut, it's ok, right?

Breakfast: the most important meal of the day, so we are told. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, who doesn’t love a great breakfast?

Audrey is not such a fan of breakfast. Unless it’s something elaborate. She can put the waffles, french toast, or breakfast casseroles away. But when it comes to the everyday, school morning breakfast, it often becomes a battle.

She really doesn’t like cold cereal, oatmeal,  toast, or scrambled eggs. And I’m definitely not going to make pancakes before school! So she often ends up just having a glass of milk with a granola bar or some fruit.

Georgia is a lot more flexible with breakfast. She will eat cold cereal, oatmeal, eggs, whatever. She often has a scrambled egg, a piece of toast, and a glass of mild for breakfast before school.

Sydney is quite easy, as she and I eat the same thing every single day: a bowl of Cabot vanilla Greek yogurt with granola on top. Sometimes we mix it up with some chopped strawberries, peaches, or blueberries.

As long as Joel has his morning bottle of milk (or two), he’s happy. He likes Cheerios or Wheaties, scrambled eggs, or yogurt.

I often wish that all of us would eat the same thing in the morning. But it just hasn’t worked out yet, so I continue to run the short order kitchen.

What about you? What’s on the menu at your house for breakfast on a school morning?

After all the planning, waiting, obsessing, preparing, and shopping, it’s finally time to go. My bag is packed with shoes, cute outfits, and lots of empty space for the inevitable swag I’ll be bringing home.

My tickets are all set on my mobile app, and printed out, too, for good measure. My kids are all accounted for. My business cards are ready to be distributed. I have my schedule all entered into a pretty Excel spreadsheet, thanks to my accountant husband.

I’m ready!

It’s been three years since I went to my first BlogHer in 2009. It seems crazy to think about now, but Sydney was two years old then, just the age Joel is now. The kids were all so little!

And this is my first time getting away by myself for this long since BlogHer 2009. I can’t wait! It will be great to meet my three roommates, spend a few days in New York City, and learn a lot to make my blog better.

I’m also excited to be going to a few great events that I will tell you all about when I get home: SocialLuxe Lounge, the Scholastic Brunch, the MomSelect Suite, and a meet-up for my online book club. It will be great to meet new people and make some exciting contacts.

I had such a great time at BlogHer ’09 that it will be hard for BlogHer ’12 to beat it. But aside from my BlogHer buddy not being there, it’s looking like a weekend to remember.

Are you going to BlogHer? Tweet me @occupationmommy and I’ll see you there!