Flint Hills 2012 International Children's Festival

The Flint Hills 2012 International Children's Festival is this Saturday, June 2nd 10AM-5PM and Sunday, June 3rd from 11AM-5PM.

The parks around the Ordway in downtown St. Paul come alive this weekend with free arts activities, art exhibitions and music & dance performances [inside and outside].  The best part, all outdoor activities are FREE.  

Click here for a schedule and description of all indoor and outdoor performances happening this weekend.   Performances are in all forms: music, dance, and even puppetry. 

There are more than two dozen art making activities within the tents sponsored by different Education Partners. These different activities are educational, interactive and will encourage creativity for your older babies.  

Other outdoor events include: ARTmoves parade [1:00 on Saturday], butterfly garden, the ARTgarden [which includes different story times throughout each day] , food trucks and tents, balloon artist, magicians, henna and face painters.

Even if your baby is too little to participate in any of the activities, they should love the sounds, vibrant colors and activity downtown.  It is great to expose babies to all types of cultures and music! 

Baby Shopping on a Budget {Spring Edition}

{photo credit}

Did you read my post last fall about baby shopping on a budget? Well, it's that time of year again {YEAH!!}

Minnesota Valley Mothers of Multiples is having their spring sale this Saturday, March 31 at the Eagan Community Center.  Public shopping is from 11:00 - 2:00 and if you bring a new {still in the package} baby or child item to donate {i.e. baby food, formula, toy, etc} you can get in FREE! Check out {and LIKE} their facebook page for a preview of some of the items and a chance to win prizes like free entrance or the first spot in line!

Northside Mothers of Multiples is also having their semi annual sale this Saturday, March 31 at the Presbyterian Church of the Master in Coon Rapids from 9:00 - 2:00.

Just Between Friends started their Twin Cities spring sales last weekend.  There are still 9 different sales between now and June, so be sure to check out the dates below for a sale in your area!

{Eagan} March 15-17
{Coon Rapids} March 28-31
{St. Cloud} March 29-April 1
{Blaine/Andover} April 19-21
{Maple Grove} April 25-28
{Woodbury} May 10-12
{Elk River} May 10-12
{Eden Prairie} May 3-6
{White Bear Lake} May 17-19
{Edina} May 31-June 2

Want to know my secret for knowing about all these great consignment sales? Check out twincitieskidsales.com, a website that lists all the kid consignment sales in the Twin Cities {and Greater MN and WI}.  Or you can check out their facebook page here.

Happy Shopping!!

Is Your Home Safe for Baby?

Every milestone is such an exciting moment in your baby's first year. From smiling to cooing and sitting on their own.  Then the next thing you know they're on the move--crawling and walking! Your baby is no longer a newborn, but a curious baby that wants to get into everything. 

E was an early crawler, and while I was so excited for this milestone, I also realized my days of reading a book while he cooed in his bouncer were over. This little curious baby needs constant watching because he loves to find trouble.  It was time to baby proof the house.  

I felt that we did a pretty good job of baby proofing our house {what works best for our family} but where we struggled was with the gates.  I live in an older home built in the 40s that has a unique staircase and entryway.  I love my husband, but he is no handy man. After a few attempts with standard gates, we gave up and two heavy totes became our temporary baby gate.  

After months of our temporary solution someone recommended me to Foresight Childproofing Inc., a local childproofing company in the Twin Cities.  I cannot say enough good things about the company and owner, Peter.  Through his years as a stay-at-home dad, Peter truly understands the importance of having a safe home and is passionate about what he does--it shows.  

Talking to Peter over the phone and sending him pictures of our staircase, he was able to figure out exactly what type of gate was needed without even coming out to my home.  When he came out to my house he was quick to install the gates and even got E to un-glue himself from my leg enough to curiously wander over, say hello and attempt to help put up the gate {of course!} And let me tell you... I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER.  Why did we not do this sooner??? It is so nice to not have to worry about E climbing the stairs without someone behind him.

Foresight Childproofing does much more than install gates.  They will come out and do an entire evaluation of your home and recommend how to create a more child-safe environment; letting you customize a plan that works best for your family. The great thing is that you are able to do as much {or as little} as you want {or can afford}. You can purchase the products from Foresight Childproofing and install them yourself; or do what we did, and have them installed for you. 

To contact Foresight Childproofing or find out more information about the company check out their website here.  

{note: these are my own opinions and I was not paid to write this, just hoping to help other families out that may be in similar situations!} 

Free Admission to the Minnesota Zoo!

Babies love the zoo. Wait, let's admit it, so do parents! So what's better than going to the zoo? Going to the zoo for FREE!  

Right now the Minnesota Zoo is running a program called Recycle for Rainforests.  Recycle your old cell phone at the Minnesota Zoo March 1 - March 16 and receive free admission.  One admission per cell phone donation.  Valid for either child, senior or adult admission.  Free admission applies only on the day of your cell phone donation. Not valid with other promotions. For details about how the program works, click here.

Don't miss out on your opportunity to help African rainforests and the animals that live there. And an opportunity to bring your baby to the zoo at no cost! It's a win-win!

Making your own baby food CAN be easy!

Making your own baby food isn't as scary as you think.  I want to share with you something that is going to make it even easier... a website: Wholesomebabyfood.com.  One of my "go-to" mommy friends told me about this website when I started feeding E solids and I've been hooked ever since. Not only will Wholesome Baby help you learn how to cook food for your baby, but it's also a great resource of what to cook for your baby and when.  

I tried to make a lot E's food, especially when it was single purees.  It is so simple. Do not let baby marketers fool you; while the Baby Bullet and Baby Breeza are great, all you really need to make baby food are some pots, pans, an oven, blender of some sort and ice cube trays.  I actually used our knockoff bullet blender that we got as a wedding gift and it worked perfect!  

Is your baby a beginner to solids? Start here for stage 1 foods and some basic pureeing.  Now that E is onto mostly finger foods, I want to find recipes I can still make in bulk and store in the freezer. This weekend I baked E some broccoli & cheddar cheese nuggets and wanted to share the recipe!

Broccoli & Cheedar Cheese Nuggets

1 16 oz package frozen broccoli, cooked, drained and chopped

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 large eggs [or 5 egg yolks]

{directions}

preheat oven to 375

[1] lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside

[2] combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. {* add seasonings if you like: garlic powder, pepper, extra basil or oregano; also can add fruit or veggie puree to substitute for eggs} 

[3] shape mixture into nuggets and place on baking tray. bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning nuggets over after 15 minutes. serve warm, crumble if baby needs.

I also found out that author of Wholesomebaby.com, Maggie Meade, is coming out with a book tomorrow called The Wholesome Baby Food Guide.  

Baby food doesn't need to be tasetless, processed and in a jar. It can be fresh, vibrant and delicious. In THE WHOLESOME BABY FOOD GUIDE, Maggie Meade will show you how easy it is to feed your baby homemade goodness. 

Based on the top-rated baby food website, THE WHOLESOME BABY FOOD GUIDE is filled with carefully researched information on nutrition, allergies, myths, and the best practices for introducing foods to your little ones. With more than 150 recipes, as well as storage tips, and allergy alerts, Meade reviews the three major stages of a baby's learning to eat: 4-6 months, 6-8 months, and 8 months and up.

Do you make your own baby food? Where do you find some of your favorite recipes? 

Happy FIRST Birthday to E!!!!!

You changed our lives in the best way possible. Happy Birthday my little man.  

Beat the Winter Blues!

February: the time in Minnesota where everyone starts going a little crazy from being inside all winter. We have been lucky enough to have a pretty mild winter; in fact E and I have even been able to make a few trips to the park in January and that is UNHEARD of! But going outside is still a challenge and being stuck inside with a baby or young toddler can drive a parent crazy.

I've been working on compiling a list of indoor playgrounds to take your baby to and saw this GREAT list that MinnMoms.com put together. [By the way, if you haven't checked out MinnMoms.com and you live in the Twin Cities you need to add it to your bookmarks!] I've taken some of their list, plus added a few of my own and made sure they are baby friendly. E has been walking for about a month now and he is at that stage where all he wants to do is climb, crawl and walk all over. An indoor playground is PERFECT and I can't wait to take him to one of these!


[photo credit]

Adventure Peak [Edina]
Adventure Peak features great areas for toddlers to explore. The Tot Area includes climbing, crawling, sliding and even bouncing in an inflatable air bounce geared just for them!

Eagles Nest [New Brighton]
Part of Eagles Nest, The Eaglets Aerie, is for kids 3 and under. It has its own colorful ball pit, challenging climbing structure, reading corner and more! $5.50/baby 12 months & up.

The Blast [Eagan]

Babies 17 months and younger are FREE [they do not have a specific toddler area] But at the Eagan Community [where The Blast is] they do have open gym Monday-Friday for $3 which is for ages 1 and & up, see more details here.  

Maple Maze [Maple Grove]
Babies under 12 months are FREE and over 12 months are only $5 [$4 for residents] There is a specific toddler area for ages 3 and under where they can crawl into the lions mouth and back down a slide to venture on to the molded alligator, hippo and more.

Lookout Ridge [Woodbury]
They do have a toddler area here [$4.50 for 1 & older].  The "inside tip" is that mornings are usually busy, so if you are looking for a quieter time to take your baby, head on over after lunch.

Tropical Adventure [Shoreview]
Babies under 12 months are free, otherwise it's $5 per child for their indoor playground.  Tropical Adventure also has an indoor water park with an area called "Ship Wreck Beach" with a zero depth pool just for little tots to splash & play in!

Sky Zone [Oakdale, Plymouth]
Sky Zone is a indoor trampoline park. Check each website for toddler time [ages 5 & under].

The Little Gym [Edina, Burnsville & {coming soon} Eagan & Eden Prairie]
The only downfall to The Little Gym is that they don't have any type of open gym and you have to sign up for weekly classes. Although your first class is FREE so you can always try it out first!

My Gym [Eden Prairie]
Same thing with My Gym, they have ongoing classes that you can register for unless you are a member then they have "free play".

I have yet to speak from experience about any of these places so I would love to hear if you have been to any and how they were. Or did I miss any places you like to bring your older baby to? Please share!