As a mother of two daughters, I am always worried that they will have the same social anxieties that I have had (and sometimes still do). I wonder if they will make a lot of friends, will they be popular, if not- will they be resilient and true to themselves? How can I make sure they are not at targeted or bullied, or worse, be the mean girl? As with every new stage of child development, there is a new set of unanswered questions for parents.
Rosalind Wiseman’s Girl World Tour is coming to Baltimore on Monday, October 18
Rosalind Wiseman is an internationally-recognized expert on children, teens and parenting and a New York Times best-selling author for her book Queen Bees and Wannabes, which was the basis for the movie, Mean Girls.
Rosalind is currently touring the country hosting fun-filled evenings of mother-daughter bonding that include an interactive discussion about confidence, friendships, sweat-inducing moments and common mother-daughter challenges. These mother-daughter workshops are geared to moms and their tween (8-12 year-old) daughters and aim to help moms and daughters more effectively communicate with each other. Rosalind will offer practical advice and tools to help set the foundation for open communication, which is especially important as the daughters move from their tween to teen years and begin face even more challenges and issues that could put a child’s confidence at risk.
Greetings & Readings bookstore will be selling tickets to these workshops for approx. $40 for a mother/daughter pair, which includes Rosalind’s books Queen Bees & Wannabes, and her new tween novel Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials as well as a gift bag from Dove deodorant and Unilever’s Don’t Fret the Sweat campaign.
Monday, October 18 7-9 p.m. Gordon Center for the Performing Arts, 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue, Owings Mills
Want to win a complimentary pair of tickets to this event? Email baltimoremama@gmail.com
Winner will be randomly drawn by noon on Friday October 14, 2010.
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I am sure we are one of the only families that does not make it to the movie theater on the reg. But, during one of the unbelievably hot days of summer, I took the girls over to The Rotunda to see Toy Story 3. I have honestly never seen the first two of the series (I know), but, was completely awed by Toy Story 3. We all LOVED it. We laughed and we cried, isn’t that the telling sign of a truly great movie? Well now that’s it’s officially FALL I was happy to learn that Toy Story 3 On Ice is coming to Baltimore at 1st Mariner Arena, October 27-31, 2010!!! This is extra cool because it’s the week of Halloween and we already decided that the girls were going to be characters from this movie for their costumes. My older daughter is going to be Jessie (can’t wait to see her with freckles), and my 4 year old is going to be Little Bo Peep.
Anyway, there is a great deal that I wanted to pass along: you can purchase 4 tickets for $44 for select weekday and matinée performances -OR- get $4 off each ticket on weekend performances. Click on the flyer to enlarge and get the rest of the details. Here is the link to the Ticketmaster to page for the all show times.
Being a city mama, it’s not a big deal to go downtown for a weeknight performance, gotta love city living. 
This is my first post using my WordPress iPhone app, so excuse me if it turns out all chopped up!
There is no shortage of local online hotspots to virtually meet and chat with other parents. Some come to make friends and schedule playdates, others look for reccommendations of service providers, and some just looking to be reassured in their parenting journey.
Here is a listing and description of the different communities that I have found and what you can expect. If you have any others you would like to see added, please email info@baltimoremama.net
Area Wide
www.mothering.com Mothering Magazine’s message board, local board for Maryland
Baltimore Attachment Parenting, also known as BaltAP
www.baltimoremommies.com – part of the Mommies Network
www.mymarylandmommies.com
www.baltimommies.com – now defunct
Neighborhood Specific:
SEBALTCITYKIDS, Southeast Baltimore City Kids Email for more info. and to get a group invitation
Familton, for families of Lauraville and Hamilton
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covers with snaps, inserts, liners – the list goes on and on. My first experience with cloth diapering was more than a dozen years ago and the options were limited to plastic pants with elastic leg openings and pins. Back then I thought it was great when I could coordinate the colored pins with my daughter’s outfit, how things have changed!
When I was expecting my second child I knew I was going to use cloth, but which â€systemâ€? After much trial and error (and lots of laundry!) I finally settled on prefolds with waterproof, Velcro covers, which has served us well for the last 10 months but is not without a few annoyances such as the bulkiness of the prefolds – especially when you have to double up like we often do.
Despite having combed every corner of the internet to research and compare the endless array of options, I seem to have missed contour diapers or assumed they had to be used with specific covers or would only fit for a short amount of time. Turns out, I should have tested them long ago. The Bumkins Contour Diaper is much more versatile than I expected – these diapers work with most covers (I tried it with two types and it worked perfectly), are incredibly slim but absorbent and very soft. I tested the diaper overnight without doubling up and to my surprise, no leaks or wetness. Another plus for me is the Bumkins diaper line-dried in the same amount of time as the prefolds. The only downside I noticed is the Contour Diaper is only available in one size so they might not work for smaller babies.
While the Bumkins Contour Diapers are not cheap – $10.95/cotton, $12.95/bamboo – I think having a few on hand is definitely a worthwhile investment, especially for those of us that stubbornly insist on using cloth diapers outside of the home but don’t want the extra weight in the diaper bag.
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Something I had forgotten from long-ago diaper changes with my daughter was the inevitable and often nose-pinching experience of disposing of solid waste, or dare I say poop. It’s a subject most of us try to avoid – poopy diaper changes after the introduction of solid food is downright unpleasant. Given my dislike for this aspect of babyhood I was excited to try Bumkins new Flushable Diaper Liners with my son. These handy liners come in packs of 100 and are biodegradable, which makes me feel better about using them. When it’s time for clean up just dispose of the mess, including the liner, in the toilet and flush away. An added bonus is the liner offers a bit of stain protection to keep your diapers in top shape.
Unfortunately these are not recommended for homes with septic systems but you can throw them in the trash after flushing the poop if necessary.
Bumkins Flushable Liners are priced competitively at $9.95 for a pack of 100.
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4711 Harford Rd, 2nd Floor
Baltimore, MD 21214
410-254-2786
www.greatsoulwellness.com
Kids classes are $10.00 – drop-in ($6.00 for each additional sibling)
Family classes are $10.00 – drop-in (includes 2 parents and 2 children, $6.00 each additional sibling).
Mondays, 4:00-4:45pm
Frequent Flyer – World Dance For Kids
(Ages 5-9, younger children and parents welcome, Dorise)
10-week session –
Mondays, 5:00-6:00pm
Frequent Flyer – World Dance For Pre-Teens & teens
(Pre-teens & Teens, ages 10 & up, Dorise)
10-week session –
Tuesdays, 10:00-11:00am
Movement & Music Class for Toddlers & Parents
(Parents, toddlers and siblings welcome, Alina)
8-week session –
Thursdays, 11:00-11:45am
pre-Ballet to World Dance For Kids
(Ages 3-5, parents welcome, Dorise)
10-week session –
Introduction to dance and movement to a soundtrack from around the world. Learn to listen to and move to rhythm in a creative fashion. Session culminates in a final performance for family and friends with guest performers. Comfortable attire w/ barefeet or soft dance shoes. Ages 3-5 (parents and younger kids welcome). 10-week session
Thursdays, 12:00-12:45am
pre-Ballet to World Dance for Kids
(Ages 6-8, parents welcome, Dorise)
10-week session –
Further exploration of rhythm and movement as a means of self expression. Simple floor exercises, patterns, and counting skills learned. No experience necessary. Session culminates in a final performance for family and friends with guest performers. Comfortable attire w/ barefeet or soft dance shoes. 10 week session
Fridays, 10:00-11:00am
Movement & Music Class (Homeschooling Families)
(Homeschooling parents and their children of all ages, Alina)
8-week session -
A wacky and whimsical circus spectacular featuring the ultimate tug of war between Ringmaster Chuck Wagner and clown eccentric Tom Dougherty over a magical top hat that controls the circus. Watch dogs fly, Asian Elephants skip, hop, and groove and one courageous man stand eye to eye with a pack of powerful Bengal tigers. Circus celebrities help rev-up the motorcycle madness featuring one cycle on a high wire and seven speeding riders in a Globe of Steel. Extraordinary aerial acts fill the arena sky with a rare double-decker trapeze and Chinese acrobats propelling through the air. This show really goes OVER THE TOP!
Baltimore show dates: March 25 through April 5
Baltimore location: 1st Mariner Arena
Get 4 tickets for just $44 by entering the code “MOM” at select ticketing channels**. Offer good on all performances, minimum purchase of 4 tickets required; additional tickets above 4 can be purchased at $11 each. Offer not valid on Gold Circle Seating, Circus Celebrity Seating, Front Row and VIP seating or combinable with other offers. Â Other Restrictions May Apply.
The tickets can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.com and by entering the MOM code in the “MC promotional box†when purchasing tickets.
One of my favorite baby and kid accessories ever are BabyLegs. I am sure you are familiar with these super adorable and handy little leg and arm warmers. You can use them in lieu of tights, or to add extra warmth in the winter months, they make potty training a little easier with not having to worry about changing pants and tights so often, as well as protect little knees when crawling around. Now, your child can be kept cool and covered this summer beause BabyLegs are coming out with a brand new line of lightweight single layer, mesh design that have UV protection. So, your cool kid will actually be…well, cool. Expect to see these in lots of whites with rainbow prints and in late May/early June.
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There are too many too cute things at such great prices, all hand made with love. I love knowing I am supporting an artist, not a machine. I know lately I have been thinking about Easter baskets for my girls and looking forward to finding some goodies and spring accessories that they will adore. Here are some that I am going to snag…
This green tee from cddureksen
These crayon rolls are so cheap and I love the fabrics:
There is so much more to see. You must go see, shop, and support this young family that has experienced such an unthinkable loss.
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