On Center Street
02/27/13Exploring Downtown TulsaYou may know by now that we love adventure. We love not having a plan and seeing what comes our way. This week, my cousin, Spencer was passing through town on his way home to Connecticut from Mexico. Spencer is my dad's first cousin's son, which makes him my...second cousin once removed? Sadly, I don't think they effectively teach how to name strings of cousins in the American education system. Or, if they did, I didn't learn. I'll just call him my cousin. Or Spencer, but I digress... Cousin Spencer has quite a taste for adventure himself, and one of the things he mentioned he wanted to do while he was here was go and wander around Downtown Tulsa and see the architecture. He'd heard we have one of the largest collections of art deco architecture in the... |
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02/26/13What is Baby Led Weaning (BLW)?I've been hearing the term "baby led weaning" for a while now, but I just assumed it had to do with breastfeeding. Upon further investigation, it's actually just letting your baby feed themselves from the beginning of introducing solids into their diet. So in a sense, it's the very beginning of them weaning from the breast, but on an expanded timeline. Also, there's a bit of language confusion happening because in the UK, ‘weaning’ means ‘adding complementary foods’, whereas in the States it means ‘giving up breastfeeding’. When we first began solids, I made pureed/ homemade baby food, but I've definitely been giving my 9-month-old more table food than I ever gave my firstborn. I was probably way paranoid that... |
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02/26/13TulsaKids Guide to Consignment Sales & Stores in the Tulsa AreaHey, raising a family can get expensive! To help out we have gathered a list of Tulsa area consignment sales and shops to help you pinch those pennies, or even make some from selling yourself. Check this list for affordable ways to purchase baby equipment, furniture, children's clothing, shoes, toys, books and more. Please note that this is a work in progress, so check back often for new additions. If you know a sale or store that should be included, please e-mail it to abbyrodgerstk@gmail.com. Children's Consignment Sales Just Between Friends: Southwest Tulsa The Glenpool Conference Center (Hwy 75 & 121st St Exit): February 1st-3rd, 2013 Just Between Friends: Tulsa Annual Spring/ Summer Event Exchage Center Building on Expo... |
02/24/13Sunday BrunchJust a quick post for you this Sunday morning in case you're lookin' around for a nice spot for brunch like we were last week! My husband and I love brunch. I mean who doesn't? Actually, we love breakfast too. Okay, we just love food. If you follow either of us on instagram, you know we really like taking pictures of our food and trying every new delicious thing we come across. In fact, we recently started a Supper Club with a group of friends so we could have one more excuse to cook and eat new and exciting recipes! But brunch is special. Brunch is different from the other meals because it doesn't belong there. It's a whole extra meal that only happens on Sundays! You don't have to eat "breakfast food" or "lunch food" and you can... |
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02/21/13What you should really get your friend at her baby shower.So, I hope I don't sound condescending when I say that most new mom registries are full of fluff. I did it, too. 75% of the items on the registries will not be used. Diaper genies? Don't need them. Baby shoes? Puhlease. Whirlpool baby tubs? Are you serious. What you really need is to load up on diapers and wipes, but what fun is that? You're not going to get any "oohs" and "aahs" over a box of Pampers. So, here are a few things that may be a little trendy, but I believe to be functional and fun for both the giver and receiver. Plus, they're priced right. WubbaNub Neither of my children have been very interested in pacifiers for the longterm, but in the beginning they were an excellent way for me to buy some time in between feedings. But... |
02/19/13Blowing Smoke at BabiesThanks to Senator Brian Crain, a bill that would have given individual cities in Oklahoma the ability to ban indoor smoking was snuffed out, even though House Bill 2267 passed the House. Senator Crain, who is Health and Human Services Chair, killed the bill without giving it a hearing. While Senator Crain is concerned about the rights of smokers, others are concerned about their right to breathe clean air. Most of us know the harm that secondhand smoke can do, especially to children. But a new study that, ironically, I just read this morning says that smoking bans also reduce the risk of preterm births. Smoking bans are good public health policy, even for children yet to be born. Our legislators are consistently concerned with the unborn, so it would seem like a no-brainer for... |
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02/14/13My Valentine's Day PinMy son made this little heart pin for me when he was 4 years old. He's now 25. He was so proud of it (as only a preschooler can be) when he gave it to me for Valentine's Day, wrapped in tissue paper, all those years ago. I've worn it every Valentine's Day since. As you can see, he painted the wooden heart base black. Why not red or pink? I don't know. He was always a cautious child, so maybe red seemed like too risky a choice in his 4-year-old mind. Some of the glitter has worn off, but amazingly, most still remains. Glitter in the hands of 4-year-olds can be risky in itself, but it looks very nice on my pin. The blue and orange stones were also an interesting color choice for a Valentine's Day pin, but my son never has gone along with the crowd.... |
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02/12/13Nice Shot!Who doesn't love having pictures of their kids? Documenting my kids' lives, and even my own is a passion of mine. Personally, I love sites like instagram that make this love of mine even easier. In fact, I'm kind of addicted to instagram. If you follow me on social media, you probably already know that though. I'm not always as concerned about how the picture turns out as I am about capturing the moment, but I sure do love when I get that really nice shot. Sometimes I get lucky and snap ones that look halfway artistic like these: Oddly enough, those are both of Alec and he's eating something in each of them. That probably tells you a little bit about him! Now, I am no professional, but I love the reflections in the window and lighting of the top... |
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02/10/13The Inevitable QuestionFor young newlyweds, it's, "So, when are you going to start having kids?" For new parents, it's, "So, when do you think you'll have another baby?" But, once families have upwards of three of four kids, the questions seem to be more along the lines of, "So, do you think you guys are done having kids?" It seems four kids is the threshold for the general public's comfort level of child having capacity. I think having five children would definitely constitute a "large family." So, why is the question different for blended families? Marc and I have four children between the two of us, ages ranging from five to twelve, and yet we're also newlyweds. I find the question for remarried couples is, "So do you think you... |
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02/07/13Batman and Joker, Batman and Joker, Batman and Joker!I was not a very good mommy this morning. I am just so tired of playing Batman and Joker. For the first two years of my son's life I was always right there. I almost felt guilty if he was playing by himself, so I'd jump in there. And now he doesn't know how to play by himself. I'm thinking that this is a first child syndrome. Looking deeper into this theory, I can think of multiple instances to support it. Example #1 My older sister and I. She has never played well by herself. She prefers to be in group settings (i.e. dinner, working out). I, being the second sibling, am quite comfortable alone, and sometimes prefer it. Example #2: My niece and nephew. While my niece does pretty well at playing by herself as she has gotten older, she prefers to be... |
