best of 2010: if you ask a mom to dinner...

Happy New Year's Eve! We know a lot of you have sitters and are heading out sans kiddos tonight. To toast date night, we're republishing one of our favorite posts ever: If You Ask A Mom to Dinner... It originally appeared on August 15, 2010. Enjoy!

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If you ask a Mom to dinner, she'll probably look at you with surprise. "Without the kid?" she'll ask.

"Of course," you'll say. "Just the two of us."

She'll grab her planner, iPhone, crackberry or other SmartPhone and start paging through possible babysitter choices. Her best friend will volunteer to come over for the night. You'll smile, because a friend's generosity means a little more cash in your pocket. And less worry about the kid. Dessert perhaps?

Then she'll head into the closet, toddler in tow, and play dress up. Skirts, dresses, shoes, belts, handbags and silk blouses will fly out of the closet. The two of them will create a giant fortress of rejected clothes on the bed. Your toddler will squeal with delight as she pulls mommy's blouse over her head and waddles down the hallway to show you what a big girl she is - just like mommy.

Nothing will do. The just-post-pregnancy clothes are too big. The pre-pregnancy clothes are just a little snug. She needs something that fits just right.

After all, it's not every night she gets to go out. Just the two of you.

There goes the extra cash.

She'll grab the diaper bag, stock up on some extra crunchies and organic fruit snacks, and head out to the closest clothing store.

The salesperson will track her around the store like a hunter. Distracted mommies must emit 'commission' scent. The salesperson isn't quite off - - but she's shopping for something special, not in bulk today. New styles in various sizes and colors are tossed on top of the stroller.

In the dressing room, she tries mixing and matching. But your toddler insists on playing peek-a-boo under the stalls of other fashionistas. The store manager is not amused. So she grabs the first thing that meets approval (ironically a new flirty top, funky belt and dressy jeans; after all, let's be practical. She doesn't get to go out much and she'll get a ton more use out of the jeans!), and heads to the cash register.

It's on sale. She has a coupon. Mommies have to be fiscally savvy as well and fashionable. But no, she'll decline the new Mastercard. That would be excessive.

The two of them will head home where you great them at the door. You've already showered and shaved. You knew she'd need some time to de-mom herself for the night.

While she's primping and polishing, her best friend arrives. You entertain her, explain the bedtime routine and give your toddler some sustenance - grilled cheese. Quick. Easy. And always a sell.

"Don't forget to brush her teeth," you say. And "she has the funny habit of climbing on the couch and trying to jump off." You want to forewarn the best friend - - don't want your night cut short by an emergency room visit.

The two of you leave and head downtown. She calls the restaurant to let them know you'll be a few minutes late. The two of you have never been on time ever - - not once in your collective life together. Why change now?

At the restaurant, you'll order appetizers and two glasses of wine. You used to order a bottle. But one glass now makes her a little tipsy.

She'll ask the waiter for an appetizer recommendation. She always takes the recommendation because she likes to try something new. But before she orders, she'll ask what you're having so she can sneak a bite of your 'safe' dish.

After she sneaks a bite, she'll probably ask you about your work week. It's her effort not to talk about the toddler. You'll ask about the new huge project that landed on her desk. But inevitably, the conversation comes back to the toddler.

During the main course, she'll order a second glass of wine. A little tipsy never hurt anyone. She's not conventional when it comes to wine-food pairings. You cringe a little bit because you can't understand how she drinks a sweet Reisling with a sirloin steak. Oh well. You watch her visibly relax, brain unwinding from the tangled web of schedules and to-dos. You'll abstain from a second glass. You're the driver. And neither one of you have really done the cocktail or bar scene since you found out two of you were becoming three.

The conversation will drift back to pre-baby. The trips you took. The ones you still want to take. What are your thoughts about getting the toddler a passport? A two year old in Italy? Surely you're both not crazy for thinking that.

You'll linger over dessert. Although you claim not to like it, you eat half of her chocolate pretzel cake with oatmeal ice cream. Delicious is an understatement. She'll ask for a cup of cappuccino. Decaf. The baby will be up at 6:00 AM and you're already out past your 10:00 PM bedtime.

At the end of the night, as you climb the stairs to the front door, she'll turn and thank you for a wonderful evening.

And chances are, if she thanks you, she's going to ask you to take her to dinner again.

best of 2010: creative entrepreneurship for busy parents: consign at the TotSwap

Post holidays equals a bit of penny pinching in our house. Yours too? What a coincidence! We just heard from our friends at the TotSwap that you can now register for their spring sales. New to consigning? No worries. This post has got all of the information you need! Creative entrepreneurship for busy parents: consign at the TotSwap originally appeared on July 22, 2010.

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There's no doubt that the modern mom (or dad) has to be creative and entrepreneurial. Even those not in business for themselves are constantly looking for ways to maximize on their investments - - and save a little cash.

Baltimore native Robyn Rutland, founder of the regional TotSwap, is the definition of creative entrepreneur. Not only did she create TotSwap to fill a service void in the Maryland area and give her career/family flexibility, she's helping moms and dads throughout the region sell their children's no longer needed items and acquire new ones. Cost effectively.

What is TotSwap? It's the crème de la crème of consigning markets. (Think upscale tag sale with automation. No haggling. No adding totals on a calculator. No handwritten receipts.) If your living room is starting to feel like an overstuffed storage locker for toys, you may want to consider unloading some of those no longer used items at the sale. If you're in need a spare stroller to stash at your in-laws, it's a great opportunity to get a quality stroller on the cheap! No need to scramble for cash - - they take all credit cards. (Sorry, no checks).

TotSwap is kicking off it's first-ever SUMMER SALE next week, from Friday July 30th through Sunday, August 1st at the Timonium Fair Grounds. Wanna hit the coveted pre-sale on Thursday, July 29th? You'll need to consign, become a sale volunteer, or register for their new mom sale.

I've never consigned before, but Robyn has me convinced to try it once we're ready to unload some of our baby items. It seems pretty painless through her company. All I need to do is create an account on TotSwap, pay a $10 fee, enter and price my 'sale' items through their online inventory system, print pre-generated barcoded tags for my items, tag the items and drop them off for the sale. TotSwap handles the rest. After the sale, they cut me a check for 65% of the income my items bring. That's 15% above most consignment stores. AND - - I won't have to sweat it out in a stoop sale and pray a mom-to-be passes by and falls in love with one of my three exersaucers. (Yeah, three. One for my house, one for my office and one for my parents' house... and yes, the Bug grew out of them at 11 months...)

Want to maximize your TotSwap consigning experience? Volunteer. One shift you gets you an early shopping pass; two shifts gets you 70% of your items' income and you are invited to shop first; three shifts gets you an early shopping pass, 70% AND your registration fee refunded. According to Robyn, volunteering is fun and painless. You'll have a chance to network with other local parents (mostly moms), munch on some snacks, and assist parents hoping to outfit their kids for next season or pick up that toy their two year old has been coveting.

All quality children's items - - tots to teens and everyone in between - - are accepted! The largest consignment check Robyn has cut a consignor from a single sale was $1500. Not too shabby.

Toys are the expected hot ticket item. Especially Little Tikes' products like Cozy Coupe and backyard play items. Books (sometimes bundled - - $1 for the bundle!) are always a great item, as are puzzles. High end clothes like Lily Pulitzer and Ralph Lauren go quickly. New baby items like high chairs, strollers, and pack 'n plays are sure crowd-pleasers, too. A good quality exersaucer can go for as much as $40. Please don't consider consigning your drop-side crib; TotSwap is no longer accepting them due to the massive recalls.

TotSwap has created a handy pricing guide if you're not quite sure what to charge. After all, you want to be sure your items are priced to sell!

If your items don't sell, you have two options: pick them up or have TotSwap acquire them. All items NOT picked up during the designated pick-up time become property of TotSwap and may be donated. If you pick them up, you always have the option of trying to sell them again at another sale.

Not interested in consigning but want to know more about the sale? Read our Ten Tips for Newbies Navigating the TotSwap!

Images courtesy of TotSwap.

best of 2010: bubble wrap art

Cold weather got you feeling the blahs? Warm up your family with a little bubble wrap art. Highly encourage you create some sort of fort with garbage bags lest this paint get all over your kitchen cabinets... Our third pick from best of 2010 originally appeared on August 5, 2010. Thank you, Maryland Science Center, for inspiring Bubble Wrap Art.

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Got the phenomenal idea to paint with bubble wrap while attending Bubble Days at the Maryland Science Center two weeks ago (check out our event recap and other fabulous bubble-related ideas!). Monday was one of those gooey rainy days that kept us off the playground, so I thought a little painting might be in order.

The Bug was in color-coated heaven.

Thankfully, crayola washable non-toxic paints really ARE washable. Despite covering a large area of our front porch with plastic, there were some very curious pink and blue little footprints in obscure places... Rinsed right off.

Materials for this project were pretty simple: a variety of washable paints, small aluminum trays, plastic, packaging or duct tape, large sheets of white paper, bubble wrap, and a pint-sized smock (Lila's wearing a Little Tikes smock).

As you can see, clothing is really optional. I figure it's a personal choice. I chose to keep my clothes on. As you can see, Lila chose not to. As her launderer, I'm 100% comfortable and even endorse this choice.

Simply tape down the plastic to the ground and tape the paper to the plastic. Make sure there is a pretty good area of plastic around the paper. Pour small amounts of the different paints into an aluminum tray. Cut the bubble wrap into easily 'grabable' pieces. Smock your tot and let them go to town! NOTE: While painting with bubble wrap may be the general idea, other extremities will be involved when painting with a 13 month old. Expect hands, feet, fingers, and even noses will get in on the action.

There is one serious requirement for this activity. I can't stress its importance enough. DO NOT attempt this toddler craft project unless...

You have a sense of humor.

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best of 2010: lunch crunch (and what's up with bento?)

It's coming folks. January 3rd. The first 'work' day after the holidays and also the dreaded first 'real' day of your new year's resolution. Is your resolution to eat healthier this year? It's one I'm making for my toddler. By the way, she's on a PB&J only craze these days. While she could be stuck on something much UNhealthier, I do wish she'd snack on some greens now and then. Therefore, the second post of our 'best of' week is about packing healthy (and un-boring) lunches. Lunch Crunch (and what's up with bento?) originally appeared on August 18, 2010.

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We interrupt our typical Wednesday Farmer's Market Challenge for this breaking announcement.

Our family is in a lunch rut.

If I make one more PB&J, grilled cheese or ham/cheese swirl, I might scream. I very well may turn into that Edvard Munch painting, green wobbly face and all.

Did you know The Scream is part of a series in which Munch explores life, love, fear, death, melancholia and anxiety? Pretty much sums up my feelings about lunchtime right now.

Maybe melancholia is why so many hit the fast food drive through at lunch. Typically (at least in my professional opinion) melancholia has a disturbing negative effect on creativity.

So I'm on a hunt for toddler friendly lunch ideas that don't require an hour of cooking, grilling salmon in the middle of the day, or french fries. (Don't get me wrong - - I like french fries. But I don't necessarily thing they should be a lunchtime staple). They have to be Pat-friendly, too.

Parenting.com came out with 20 Easy, Healthy, and Gorgeous Bento Box lunches today, and delivered this creative gem right to my inbox this afternoon. Have you hopped on the Bento bandwagon? The concept appeals to me: no-cook, well-proportioned, healthy, fun, creative lunch that doesn't have to be chilled or warmed. It's also supposed to be easy-to-make and quick to assemble. Who wouldn't want their whip-it-up-in-5-minutes-perfect-at-room-temperature lunch molded into the shape of a bunny or rice cows? It seems like a brilliant way to entice a picky toddler to chow down on some veggies.

Building a bento lunch kinda intimidates the bejeezus outta me. My rice cow would probably look more like rice blubber.

I'm all for quick and easy. A quick survey of various sites kept bringing me back to things like Lunchables and PopTarts. I'm guessing that they didn't see MSNBC's story on the 20 Worst Foods to Feed Your Kids. The Maxed Out Cracker Combo Turkey and Cheddar contains half of a child's calories for the day.

Maybe there is a way to combine the healthy bento concept with the lunchable layout? Fun food in a small, divided tray (with cheese and ham but not molded into a giraffe and flowers)? Is it still toddler-appealing if it's not animal shaped?

I found lots of other helpful resources on my hunt today. Thought I'd share a few:

• I am in love with ZisBoomBah. Kinda wish Lila was old enough to appreciate this handy online tool where your kids can build their own antvatar (yepp, as in 'build an ant') and dinner by food group. When your child adds a food item to their plate, if gives them background information on the food as well as nutritional information. The creative chefs behind this fun, interactive site have a growing list of kid-friendly meals. Who wants a Basil Pesto Chicken Wrap? Bet the Bug is going to love that one.
  
  
• Annabel Karmel's website has suggestions for toddler friendly food. Annabel has written some great books about feeding kids, and I used her baby food cookbook every day when we were starting Lila on solids. Her creative suggestions include molding food - - but in a first-grade cute stick figure kinda way. Not nearly as artistically intimidating as Bento. The Funny-Face Chicken Pies make ME want to try them!
  
  
• Real Food for Healthy Kids is a blog written by the writers of the book by the same name. There are lots of recipes on the site. Their Huevos Rancheros might actually be a great idea for lunch... there is breakfast for dinner so why not breakfast for lunch?
  
  
• WholesomeToddlerFood.com has some interesting ideas for meals. While I think I'll skip the lead grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich, potato chowder might be a good choice.

Would love to be inspired by your lunchtime foodie masterpieces. What's your toddler/kid-friendly go-to lunch? Or what website is your online foodie muse?

Note: Images from Parenting.com, photographs by Anna Yamamoto

best of 2010: (cool) design - i've got these great photos...

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! We're getting some much needed family R&R this week. In the middle of the holiday bustle, we also had some sadness (see post from December 20th)-- so we're taking the week off. But we couldn't the last week of 2010 blank. So enjoy some of our favorite posts from the past six months (yepp - - ladies and gents, we are six months young and looking forward to a FABULOUS 2011!).

Up first? Some hard truths about my photo addiction coupled with great ideas for things to do with those gorgeous holiday shots you've been nabbing! Titled (cool) design: I've got these great photos..., this post originally appeared on October 10, 2010.

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Hi. My name is Heather. And I'm a photoholic.

First step is admitting it, right?

My husband brought a Nikon D40 SLR into our marriage two years ago. I use it exponentially more than he does at this point in our lives. I don't exactly know what I'm doing, but the camera seems to compensate for that.

The photos are gorgeous. Not as gorgeous as they'd be if I had a clue how to set my F-Stops. But beautiful nonetheless. Of course, it helps when you have a great subject -- like the Bug.

I've accumulated thousands of pictures. Some leave something to be desired. Others are simply magical. And those bits of magic are collecting dust on my iMac's hard drive. I'm guessing you probably have some of those favorite photos taking up space on your hard drive, too. Occupational hazard of parenting in the digital age.

So today's post is a collection of things you might want to consider doing with those fabulous photos. Wouldn't you rather have them proudly displayed on your wall or taking up real estate on your desk, anyway? (Let's face it. A photo of your adorable cutie would look a lot better than that stack of to-dos...).

Modern Bird Studios: Your Life In Art

This Washington DC-based company takes your photo and creates a hand-painted, one-of-a-kind original modern art piece. I had the privilege of seeing one of these gorgeous works of art on the wall of fellow-blogger Jill Smokler's (AKA ScaryMommy) house. Simply stunning. Pricing is based on the number of colors you'd like used and the size of the final product, and range from $165 to $665. Follow Modern Bird on Twitter to keep up with the crazy antics of the fabulous husband and wife team (Gregg and Megan) that run the studio, and to be notified of current giveaways. Check out the Modern Bird Blog to read about design inspirations and weekly interviews with bloggers.

Geezees Photo and Word Canvas Art

Have a favorite quote? Does your child have a favorite story, song or poem? Match it with one of your fab photos and send it to Stephanie at Geezees Custom Canvas Art to have a custom canvas created for you! Prices are based on size of the canvas, and range from $125 - $300. Be sure to head over to Stephanie's blog to see what she's currently working on or musing about!

Blow 'em Up

I {{heart}} Kodak for photo printing. I just request that iPhoto send my photos to print, my .me account is charged and they show up 7-10 days later. And waiting is worth it! There is such a difference in quality between photos I have sent out for printing and those I cybersend to my local Walgreens for printing. Regardless of the quality or where I send them, I inevitably end up with a stack of photos stuffed in a drawer. But I am inspired by this display idea from Janna Beecher's photoblog (which originally came from Domino Magazine)! Simple natural Ikea-like frames and 5X7 or 4X6 images displayed symmetrically makes a beautiful statement! Double bonus? If they are all lined up like this, no worries about having to painstakingly plot out your multi-photo wall display.

The Coffee Table Book

There are lots of options for creating a coffee table photobook. iPhoto has pre-designed layouts, Snapfish or Mixbook are other options. But did you know Charm City has it's very own photobook layout available through Jostens? Personalize the cityscapes with family photos and you have a charming, unique keepsake. Pricing depends on the number of pages in your book - - so be prepared to spend at least $35... More like $50 if you're me...

Nursery Wall Art

I admit it. I'm an Etsy addict. Isn't this Pear Tree Wall Art with photos just too adorable? Created by Karen Yi at Almost Sunday Designs, this little number would liven up any child's room! It's whimsicality sings. And at $38, this is a steal! (Anyone headed to visit a new baby? Perfect gift.)

Shadow Box

Now, I've seen lots of different ways shadow boxes have been used to preserve memories and keepsakes, but this glass pebble collage from le papier jolie is too (cool). Made of up 35 photos, this is sure to be conversation starter - - and memory catcher. $50 and 35 digital photos gets you one!

Family Tree

I found this photo family tree wall art on the Jack and Izzy blog -- although I believe it originally came from an Etsy site. I love the modern vibe and sleek look, with the black and white photos juxtaposed against the green of the tree. Wouldn't this look fabulous on your family room wall?

How are you displaying your fav photos? Would LOVE to hear your ideas!