North Coast Mamas

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 →

Review: Chicco Capri Lightweight Stroller

October 19, 2015October 10, 2015Emily Pike

My husband and I have traveled frequently by car and by air with our three kids since they were tiny. We purchased this Chicco Capri Lightweight Stroller (an umbrella-style stroller) over five years ago on the advice of a friend when preparing for our first airplane trip after our oldest was too heavy for me to wear comfortably for long periods of time, and it has held up amazingly well.

Other than its durability, it has two major advantages in my mind: Read more →

Mama Mantra of the Moment: My thoughts are my own, they come, they go.

October 15, 2015October 10, 2015Charlotte Rose

“My thoughts are my own, they come, they go.”

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 →

Mama Mantra of the Moment: I love my body right now and I appreciate all that it does.

October 1, 2015September 26, 2015Charlotte Rose

“I love my body right now and I appreciate all that it does.” 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 →

A Quick (Down and Dirty) Primer on Cloth Diapering Lingo

September 22, 2015September 13, 2015George Miller

Prefolds – Your mother’s cloth diaper. These are squares or rectangles of cloth (sometimes with an extra-absorbent center) that can easily be bleached. There are many ways to fold them and you should remember that YouTube is your friend. Read more →

5 Motherhood Stock Photos that Prove Shutterstock is Drunk

September 21, 2015September 19, 2015North Coast Mamas

It’s no secret that stock photos of mothers are a hot commodity. A search for “mother” on Shutterstock yields nearly 8,000 pages of results. And they have someone vetting the photos … but my question, which I think you’ll come to agree is a good one, is: who? Who is vetting these photos?