Cleaner Living: Make Your Own Drinkable Yogurt

Jun 12, 2013 by Dena

It happens to all of us.

You take the kids to the grocery store (which I am convinced is hell on earth), and they are instantly attracted to the bright colors and fun characters on packages of stuff you don’t necessarily want to give them.  It’s confusing to them why something with Dora on it can’t be good for them- I mean she can lead you safely across the Sticky Swamp, why wouldn’t she be leading you to healthy food?

Well, advertising rant aside, I just find it gross that companies turn simple things into science experiments and places to put unnecessary ingredients, like sugar.  Case in point, my kids like those yogurt drinks. When you look at the nutritional information you see this:

This is the nutritional label from Danimals Raspberry Smoothie
Photo Credit  Read more...

The Unpopular Choice

May 31, 2013 by AnnQ

At the end of the school year everything goes on hyper-speed. In the eight week period between Spring Break and the end of the term, there are a multitude of school-sponsored events, both during the day and after school – School Pride Week, Field Day, the Ice Cream Social, the Art Fair, the Spring Music Concert, field trips, Teacher Appreciation Week…you get the idea. Adding to the insanity, the spring sports season is also firing on all cylinders. This is a set-up for a scheduling disaster. You just know that something, somewhere, is going to overlap and someone is not going to be happy. And when that time comes, what choice do you make?

This was our dilemma last week – “A” had both, his school orchestra concert and the first game in his baseball playoffs on the same night. With loyalties and commitments on both sides, which do you choose – and who decides?  Read more...

CT Open House Day!

May 28, 2013 by Michelle

I LOVE Connecticut Open House Day! This year it’s being held on Saturday, June 8th and it’s a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of special discounts & even free admission at some places all while exploring the best CT has to offer. The day is organized by the CT Office of Tourism and they have a full list of all participating locations.

For our purposes, I’m excited to highlight some of the best kid-friendly activities and even some opportunities for you to go out with your partner!

Best Kid-Friendly Activities (These specials are only available on June 8th)

Discovery Museum, 4450 Park Ave., Bridgeport, CT {Offering HALF OFF general admission from 10-5}

Imagine Nation Children’s Museum, One Pleasant St. Bristol, CT {Offering $1 off regular admission from 11-5}

New England Carousel Museum, 95 Riverside Ave., Bristol, CT {Open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., offering free carousel rides and a chamber music concert from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m.}  Read more...

No Expectations

May 14, 2013 by Randi

Take me to the station

And put me on a train,

I’ve got no expectations

To pass through here again

Expectations have caused me a lot of pain over the course of my life. I was often disappointed and hurt when I expected my parents to act a certain way. Boyfriends and significant others, being male, could not read my mind and my expectations of them led to more hurt.

I have had women friends of whom I expected certain things, only to find out that the person I thought I knew did not exist. I had a friend whose parenting style mirrored my own, or so I thought. So when she UNINVITED ME from their family’s holiday gathering because her teenage daughter wanted all of them to visit a family friend instead, I was stunned. Never mind the fact that I dreaded going in the first place! I just could not believe MY FRIEND would allow her daughter to make a decision that would cause the adult in the family to have to uninvite a guest. “We took a vote, and I lost,” said my friend. Excuse me? Since when is a family a democracy? So that friend is no longer my friend, all because my expectations of her were proven to be wrong, and I suddenly saw her in a different way.  Read more...

Vagina is Not a Bad Word

Apr 29, 2013 by Sarah Bourne Perillo

My four and almost three-year old are obsessed with body parts. They are inquisitive about bodily functions, they want to understand how and why people are different shapes and sizes; we have had lengthy conversations about why Mom pees sitting down and Dad pees standing up. My daughters can properly identify their body parts.

The other day the two of them were playing on the porch. My four-year old has a strict policy at her school about using potty words inappropriately, and she has been working on refraining from using these words inappropriately at home and around her younger sisters. In the middle of playing my oldest daughter said something about changing her baby doll and having to wipe the baby’s vagina. My almost three-year old used this as a chance to tattle and came running inside, accusing her sister of using a “bad word.” This, of course, resulted in the classic argument: “did not,” “did too,” “did not.” I intervened and helped to guide the argument into a productive conversation about why vagina is not a bad word.  Read more...