How to Give Your Partner Agency as a Parent

March 7, 2016March 6, 2016George Miller

In most parental relationships, there is one parent who defaults to “primary” parent. Usually it’s whichever parent ends up spending more time with their child. Because this parent spends so much time with their child(ren), they know a lot of the ins and outs of what the little one(s) want or need at any given moment. It can be very rewarding to stay at home with your kids, or just spend every moment you can with those adorable little people, but this comes with some challenges. Primary among these challenges is making sure that your co-parent has parental agency. Read more →

8 Things it’s Okay to Want for Your Kids

January 11, 2016December 10, 2017North Coast Mamas

“I just want them to be happy and healthy” is the de rigueur answer to a number of polite(ish) questions about our children, and it’s really never the truth. There are so many things we want for our kids.

The problem is, there are a lot of things it’s really not okay to want for your kids. Read more →

The Dreaded C Word

November 2, 2015November 1, 2015Emily Pike

Our Crunchy Granola Mama Doc Emily Pike takes on the c word.

No, not *that* “C” word! This one has five letters, not four, and brings fear to the hearts of new parents everywhere.

COLIC.

Now, this is not a label that should be applied lightly. The official definition goes beyond just gassiness or fussiness. Read more →

Breast Milk and Booze

October 30, 2015November 1, 2015Alexis Barrett

Boobs and breast milk. Stop pumping and dumping for the love of Gold!

Here’s what you need to know about breastfeeding and drinking to make your own informed decision.

This article is intended for the responsible social drinker. If you think you have a problem with alcohol please contact your physician or local Alcoholics Anonymous group.

1. When drinking (and sobering up), your breast milk alcohol content (BMAC) is pretty much the same as your blood alcohol content (BAC). Blood filters most toxins out of your body and feeds nutrients to your milk ducts. So if your BAC is .08, BMAC is .08. Read more →

How to Make an Old Plastic Sandbox Like New

October 28, 2015October 18, 2015Amanda Fineran

As I wrote last week, big, outdoor toys like picnic tables and sandboxes are a ton of fun — and crazy expensive. In this article, I take on an old, faded lady-bug sandbox and make it into a like-new play space, thanks to a good scrubbing and a coat of paint! Read more →

12 Real-Talk Steps for Choosing Your Child’s Halloween Costume

October 23, 2015October 24, 2015Stephanie Richards

pottery barn costumes edit — *Thanks, Pottery Barn, for ruining it for the rest of us.*

Outfitting your kids for Trick-or-Treating can be intensely stressful. There’s nothing like putting 40 hours into a lovingly-crafted costume, only to have your child turn around and refuse to wear anything but the same store-bought Elsa dress as all her other classmates, or trying to figure out how to fulfill your toddler’s request for a tiger-Batman-unicorn. While there’s no way to actually child-proof the process, I hope the following tips can take some of the pain away and help everyone get more fun out of the season. Read more →

How to Refresh a Plastic Picnic Table

October 20, 2015October 18, 2015Amanda Fineran

Around the time my daughter turned 1, I thought it was time we get more outdoor toys for her since she could walk and needed to move. I wanted to get her a sandbox, a table, some chairs, a castle, a cozy coupe, and the list goes on. Then, I looked up the prices. “Jeepers creepers” said the Minnesotan, “that ain’t cheap!”

My father then began collecting outdoor toys and furniture from curbs and garage sales. Most had obviously spent their lives in the sun and were well loved. While they definitely served their purpose, they looked like crap. I was turned on to the idea of spray painting the furniture and toys by my great-aunt, and let me tell you, it was amazing! Read more →

7 Must-Haves for the First Months of Mommyhood

October 12, 2015October 12, 2015Colleen Somerville

In the mama group I’m part of on Facebook, I’d say one of the top questions asked by pregnant moms is: “What are the most necessary products you purchased/received for those first few months of Mommyhood?”
I thought I’d write about what got me through those first six months before they get hazier than they already are (my son is almost 13 months old now). Read more →

7 Ways Dads Can Help Before Going Out of Town

October 5, 2015December 10, 2017North Coast Mamas

Whether your partner stays at home or works, when you go out of town, it causes stress. Some of that stress is real and some of it is imagined (“What if the baby gets sick?” or “What if I have a meeting that runs late and I can’t make it to day care on time?”), but if you’re the one leaving, even if the trip is not your choice, even if the trip is essential to providing for your family, even if the trip itself is a lot more stressful than staying home with the kid(s) would be, you can be a good guy (or gal if the situation is reversed), earn brownie points and make your partner feel loved by doing these seven things. Read more →

How to Choose a Baby Name in 6 Easy Steps

September 28, 2015October 4, 2015George Miller

So you’re going to have a baby! And now you need to come up with a name, or a few names. Where do you start? How do you narrow down a huge list? How do you get your partner to actively participate? While there are lots of methodologies out there, here’s a fairly simple way to go: Read more →