The Great MN Get Together!

I admit... I debated on whether or not to bring E to the Minnesota State Fair or not this year [ I don't need to go every year, and I went three times last year when I was pregnant and probably ate enough to last me six years!] But thanks to Hurricane Irene, Uncle Danny and Uncle Brian [from the big apple] were stranded in Minnesota an extra day, so off to the fair we went!

Did you know there is a lactation station at the fair? Unfortunately when we walked by it, it was too early for E's lunch, but it looks AWESOME! Located at the corner of Randall and Cooper it is set up right next to the myTalk 107.1 booth and sponsored by Creative Kids Stuff and Clinic Sofia. The lactation station is a quiet place for new moms to feed and change their children. It's equipped with changing tables, LaCroix Sparkling Water, fans, rocking chairs, magazines to read and all the diapering essentials. There are also electrical outlets available to those new moms who need a place to plug in the pump! [myTalk1071.com] It doesn't get any better than that! And what a great way to get out of the hot sun for a little bit.

If your baby is a little older, they might enjoy the CHS Miracle of Birth Center where you can see all the new baby animals & their mama's!

E [surprisingly] took a nice long nap in his stroller in the beginning. Then I put him in his carrier for a while and he LOVED people watching [yes, even babies understand that the fair is the best place for people-watching!] But I think E's favorite part of the fair was trying to grab the giant pickle!!




What is your favorite part of the Minnesota State Fair?

Library Love!

Today Baby E & I are going to make a trip to the library. This is a fun and FREE activity to get you out of the house with your little one.

We love to read books every day! For mama, that means getting sick of reading the same books over and OVER again. Which is why we love taking trips to the library. Now that Baby E is sitting on his own, I can plop him down with a puzzle while I pick out new books. If your baby isn't sitting yet, bring them in the car seat or strap them on so they can look at all the books with you.

I thought it would be fun to share a few of our favorite books with you if you are looking for a new read:




B is for Bear by Roger Priddy
If you haven't picked up a Roger Priddy book, you are missing out! He has a great variety for babies and my son loves the bright images and colors used in his books. B is for Bear is a touch and feel rhyming alphabet book that we love!



What Does Baby Say by Karen Katz
Karen Katz is another favorite author of mine! She has so many great books for babies. They have simple story lines and adorable baby characters. This one is great for a baby who is starting to babble or talk.



Peek-a-Zoo by Marie Torres Cimarusti
Peek-a-Zoo is a fun peek-a-boo pop up book all about animals. Baby E is really into peek-a-boo right now [like most babies].



Peek-a-boo Love you! by Claire Page
This is another fun peek-a-boo book with cute pictures of babies and fun short rhymes.



Ten in the Bed by David Ellwand
This book has the cutest pictures of teddy bears falling out of bed to the classic song "ten in the bed". A great book and fun to sing to baby!

Baby Music Class

Think about when you listen to a song, does it make you happy? spark emotion? The same goes for your little babe! Babies loved being sung to [no matter how off-key you are] and often find music soothing. They can benefit from music is various ways, for example: Babies exposed to lots of music has even been linked to increased reading and math skills.

With summer coming to an end and the brutal MN winter approaching [yes I said it], I am thinking that enrolling in a music program would be a great activity for E and I to get us out of the house. But now the question is where? and what program?

In doing some research I found two large companies that have various classes throughout the Twin Cities metro area.

First there is Kindermusik. Kindermusik has a program called "Village" that is for newborn to 18 months. In this program you'll experience: a variety of music, instrument play, dance, together time, and learn how to bring music into the home. It's [typically] a 16 week class where you spend 30-45 minutes learning various songs, lullabies, and nursery rhymes. Still not convinced? Try before you buy and sign up for a free class to see what's it's all about.
[NOTE: cost may vary on teacher, location, duration of program]

The other company is called Music Together. Music Together consists of a small group of six to twelve children [babies-preschool age] and their caregiver. In this 45 minute class [10 week program] you and your baby will engage in various musical activities including singing, dancing, small and large movement, instrument play, and improvisation. Music Together believes a mixed-aged group promotes children interaction and a richer learning environment. However, they do offer a special "Babies Class" at certain locations. This class is for babies 8 months and younger and is offered as one-semester only introduction to Music Together. They also has a "try to before you buy it" demo class you can preview first.
[NOTE: cost for a 10 week session = $168 for the first registered child in the family. *If you have an older sibling taking a class, babies 8 month & under can attend for free!]

So now it looks like I've got some demo classes to go to before I make my decision!

Have you done a music class with your baby? Did you go through one of these companies? Or is there somewhere else you would recommend? I'd love to know!

FREE! FREE!! [did I mention FREE] Passes to MN Museums

I was at the library with E yesterday and discovered the COOLEST promotion! If you have not heard of The Museum Adventure Pass, let me quick tell you all about it before the it ends (September 7, 2011).

The Museum Adventure Pass, presented by Macy's, allows you to use your library card to check out passes to various museums throughout the Twin Cities. What does this mean exactly? When you check out a pass, it admits TWO FREE people to participating destinations!

Using your public library card, you can check out a pass for the following destinations:

The American Swedish Institute
The Bakken Museum
Bell Museum of Natural History
Como Park & Conservatory
Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden & Bird Sanctuary
Firefighters Hall & Museum
Foshay Museum and Observation Deck
Hennepin History Museum
The Landing- Minnesota River Heritage Park
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minnesota History Center
Minnesota Streetcar Museum
Minnesota Zoo
The Museum of Russian Art
Walker Art Center
The Works: Hands-On, Minds-On Museum

HOW IT WORKS: Go to your public library [Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington & St. Paul Public, all participants] and find the Museum Adventure Pass kiosk. Choose the museum that you would like to visit (note: passes are available on first come, first serve basis and one pass per family). Once you have chosen the pass, bring the card to the Librarian who will validate the card and give you a "due date" slip. One pass is valid for seven days from the date of check-out.

Be sure to visit melsa.org/museumadventurepass for additional details!

Story Time at Wild Rumpus... with LIVE chickens!?

Wild Rumpus is an independently owned children's bookstore in Minneapolis that is a must-see! The first unique thing you'll notice is that the big purple door you use to enter the bookstore, has a smaller door cut into it, just for children to enter [and that alone can be worth the trip]!

Once you step inside, it's enchanting. The floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with children's books immediately brings comfort and coziness. Soft, worn chairs are placed about in corners for cuddling up and getting lost in Goodnight Moon or The Runaway Bunny. And don't forget to watch out for the chickens running wild around the store!

I didn't notice the theme of this when I was first there, but the tunnel in the back of the store is a "haunted hut" where all the "scary" books are kept. This is also where you can find the rats. Yes, rats [but don't worry, the rats are safely caged, unlike some of the other animals].

And some of those other animals that call the Wild Rumpus home include spiders, birds, chinchillas, and an African lizard. While these animals are nicely caged to look at from a distance, there are chickens and some [naturally] tail-less cats that can be found roaming the store.

The animals create a fun adventure for the little ones every time you visit. Also every Monday @ 10:30, Wild Rumpus hosts "tail time" [story hour]. However, I would not recommend visiting the store at this time with your baby. It was extremely crowded with no room for grown ups to sit down [which also included mama's with babies strapped to them, aka me.] The host of story time was more soft spoken and because it was geared for children of all ages, the books were a little over E's short attention span. While the story teller was great with the bigger kids, singing songs and getting them involved, I don't think E even realized we were at story time. When you're bringing your little babe to this store to soak in the captivating environment, I think it would be better when the store was a little quieter. I was a little overwhelmed and ready to leave by the end.

The bonus is that Wild Rumpus is in a great neighborhood [Linden Hills]. So you can make a morning or afternoon out of it. Who can resist some great shopping for your baby? Check out: Creative Kids Stuff, Oscar & Belle or Wonderment, all within walking distance. Hungry? Stop by Great Harvest Bread Co. and sampled some homemade bread or [what I thought was] the world's biggest chocolate chip cookie. Looking to cool off? Try across the street & get some of the best ice cream you are going to taste at Sebastian Joe's [and they have a fabulous back patio too]. The options are endless!

Weekend at the Farmer's Market

Babies need to be introduced and exposed to many different objects, shapes, textures, patterns [the list goes on and on]. As parents we need to enrich their sensory experiences and what better place to do that than the Farmer's Market?




We try to go to the Farmer's Market almost every Sunday we are in town in the summer. It's the perfect family weekend outing. I strap baby E in his Bjorn and let him soak in all the different voices, colors and smells.

The Farmer's Market is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers. For as low as $5 you can pick up some of the most beautiful flower arrangements. Your baby will love listening to the local musicians and watch the balloon animal artists that you can sometimes find amongst the farmers. And for a special treat, take your baby on a complimentary ride in the horse drawn wagon.



Not only is this a great experience for your little one, but you are able to support local farmers and pick up some delicious treats for your weekly meals.

[NOTE: for all Twin Cities locations check out the St. Paul and Minneapolis Farmer's Market websites]

E's Red Balloon

[NOTE: I'm a proud mama & wife, which means, every so often I might sneak in a personal post about my family-they are my everything!]



This morning we made our way over to Grand Avenue for baby story time at the Red Balloon Bookshop.

This morning was also the first time I decided E could get his very own red balloon [they give them out after every story time].

E couldn't stop looking up at his very own red balloon, looped around his small drool-covered hands, squealing with delight. [cutest. thing. EVER.]

A short car ride home later, E was sleeping and I carried him and his red balloon into the house. As usual, our puppy came running down the stairs to give me kisses hello. But he stopped dead in his tracks.... because... there... was the RED BALLOON.

This morning was also the morning I found out that our puppy does NOT like balloons. And barking dogs wake up babies.

Cupcake Lunch.

Lunch dates are great: Friends. Food. A break in the day. What's not to love?

Babies and lunch dates? Not always a good combination. If you're a parent, grandparent, or someone who is in care of a baby under the age of 2, I barely need to paint this picture for you, you know what I'm talking about. Newborn wailing, drinks spilling, food EVERYWHERE.

I would love to take credit for the idea of the cupcake lunch, but alas I cannot. My good friend called me up the other day and asked if E and I wanted to go get cupcakes with her and her adorable 9 week old baby girl.

What a great idea! A cupcake lunch. Easy on the wallet [$3.00 for a heavenly cupcake]. Fussy babe? No worries. A cupcake lunch is shorter than going to a sit-down restaurant. The only wait here is deciding if you are going to get salted caramel dream or the coo coo for coconut.

We decided to have our cupcake lunch at the cupcake boutique Sweet Retreat on 50th & France in Minneapolis. Let me just tell you, these cupcakes are to DIE FOR. The worst part of my cupcake lunch? I had to feed E before I could feed myself--what a tease!


[treat for mommy. treat for E.]

Meeting for coffee is OUT. Meeting for cupcakes is IN!

Baby Story Time at The Red Balloon Bookshop

Story time is a great event to take your baby to, no matter what age! "Reading will help build your child's vocabulary, stimulate his imagination, and improve his communication skills." [BabyCenter.com]

And you are in luck, because no matter where you live, story time is a popular activity to find. Try checking out your local libraries, big chain bookstores like Barnes & Noble and local book shops. Which brings me to my post today about story time at The Red Balloon Bookshop on Grand Avenue-- a personal favorite of mine.

Let me be the first to say that if you haven't been to The Red Balloon Bookshop, this could be an outing in itself! Focused on children's book, you can spend hours with your little one reading new books in the renovated house turned bookstore. And if you're like me, it's hard to leave without at least buying one new book, which is why it's great that they even have a "secret" lower level dedicated to bargain books.

If you're budget doesn't allow for new books every week, I bet it allows for a free story time!? Every Tuesday morning from 10:30AM -11:00AM, Sara Waters transforms The Red Balloon into an interactive baby story time adventure. Come early, because by 10:29AM the store is packed with moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, nannies.... and BABIES!!! Baby story time focuses on children 0-24 months, but older siblings are more than welcome and even encourage to participate.

I don't know how Sara does it week after week, but she is always there with loads of energy and a smile on her face! And she brings the energy that babies LOVE and I even find myself singing along to the silly "Dingle Dangle Scarecrow" song!

It's a great mix of stories, singing, musical instruments [sara plays the violin!] puppets, playtime, education and fun--all wrapped up into a short thirty minute session, just perfect for little ones with short attention spans! It's also great for learning new songs and games to play back at home with your baby.

[NOTE: Sara will also be at The Red Balloon Bookstore this Saturday, August 6th for Baby Story Time ENCORE for a new take on the old game of peek-a-boo.]

Hope to see you all at the Red Balloon!