Browsing Category: Parenting

Why you want to win this Book Owl giveaway

Giveaway Book Owl

I think by now we all know that reading to our offspring is incredibly important. It boosts vocabulary and language skills, is important for bonding, and helps with literacy and education for life. I asked for books at Harley’s baby shower, and when people ask me what I want for her first birthday, I think I will ask for more books, or subscriptions with The Book Owl. That’s why I’m very happy to be able to giveaway one month of The Book Owl to a lucky reader.

I first heard about The Book Owl over on Pregnant in Cape Town & Ever After. It sounded like Loot Crate, but for books for little ones, which it pretty much is. Last week, I decided it was time for me to give it a whirl, so I signed up for a one month trial box. Kirsten, the genius behind this service, wrote to me to find out Harley’s name, interests, and which books we already have to avoid duplications. But there are so many more reasons to love The Book Owl. Continue Reading

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25 Comments Geek, Giveaway, Parenting

Activities for baby development – 0-3 months old

development milestones

I am determined to give Harley the best shot at life, wanting to give her all the mental, physical and social advancements possible to help her in her later life. I already knew I wanted to read to her as part of my plan to hopefully raise her to be a book worm. However, at this extremely young age, reading is sort of difficult – her attention span is really short and she’s barely even able to focus on the pretty pictures. I still like to read to her, but it doesn’t feel like it’s doing much to help her develop.

Thankfully, the massage class I started going to with her actually gave me tons of other ideas for activities with her. That, combined with reading a bunch of articles about really early childhood development, means that I’ve sorta learned how to develop her various skills until she reaches the point of being able to grab her toys or focus on pictures when I read her books. Continue Reading

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8 Comments Child Development, Geek, Parenting

I’m not going to apologize for being a working mom

working mom licia ronzulli

With a little over a week left of my maternity leave, I’m rather excited to start back at work. It will be great to fill my head with other thoughts, to feel productive, and to use my brain again. I’ve missed working a lot, but it will be different to be a working mom. I’m incredibly lucky to already work from home, and I have awesome colleagues who will understand if I have to pause for a bit to take care of a crying baby.

Yes, I there are a lot of benefits to my job, and being able to work flexible hours without wearing heels is definitely a big one. However, I will still have to do tons of work, which I’m happy about. That work includes meetings, and I had originally thought that I would have to organize childcare for Harley for those times. Now, I’ve decided to take her along, and I’m not going to apologize or feel bad about it. Continue Reading

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8 Comments Parenting, Rambling

7 essential items for a new baby

I love making lists. My to do list is often how I start my day when I’m working; it’s as helpful for me to make the list as it is cathartic to cross things off as done. When I was preparing for Harley’s arrival, I really wanted a list of what I would need. Plenty of sites and magazines had lists, but they often included things that other moms had told me were unnecessary. So here is my list of what I’ve found essential in the first month and a bit of having Harley home.

There are plenty of other things that have been useful but aren’t essential; I love my adorable hooded towel for bath time, but I could just as easily use a normal one. The same goes for the vibrating chair – it’s awesome when she likes it, but it just hasn’t been a guaranteed success with her. So here are the bare bones that every first time parent should ensure they have for the little one. Continue Reading

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3 Comments Parenting

Babies: the real ball and chain

I adore my husband. I often say that he’s the only person I can be with every day and never get sick of his face – I suppose that’s important considering we’ve agreed to spend the rest of our lives together. We never refer to each other as “the old ball and chain”, in part because it’s rude, but also because it’s not true. We give each other plenty of space, spend time in the day apart, and never restrict each other’s activities. So no, my husband isn’t a ball and chain… but my baby sorta is.

The ball and chain was originally a physical restraint, but the idiom evolved into a burden or restraint in the form of a wife or job – something you can’t get away from. As I type this, I am holding Harley. She prefers to be held for hours every day, and in the past week I’ve probably spent about an hour apart from her. In total. And there’s no chance I can get early parole for good behavior. Continue Reading

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8 Comments Breast feeding, Parenting, Rambling