Category: Kiddos & Babes

Everything kid and baby related.

March 6, 2015

Rhockett Retreat 2015

Have you heard of Rhockett Weaving or the Rhockett Retreat?

If you are a babywearer you NEED to check it out. Rhockett Weaving is owned and operated by Rhonda Brackett. After she fell in love with babywearing and discovered it was a necessity in her life, she began creating her own signature style wraps. She also takes custom orders, if you are wanting something really special.

This April, is the very first Rhockett Retreat. This is a place where people come together, who love wrapping as much as you! There will be good food, henna from Alternative Artistry, babywearing yoga, babywearing art, campfires & s’mores, and MORE!

There will be classes through out the the three-day, two-night event including weaving, dyeing fabric and learning different wrapping instructions. You can also check out some awesome local vendors such as Finnabug Bags, Starbright Baby, and Alternative Artistry.

The Rhockett Retreat is being held …

Friday, April 24th through Sunday, April 26th

You can come by yourself, you can come with your little one OR you can bring the entire family. Not everyone needs to attend all the fun classes, but there will be no child supervision provided. There is also a charge for each additional person, to cover room and board.

This years Rhockett Retreat is being held in Ogden, Iowa. You can choose to stay the entire time or drive for only the day on Saturday and/or Sunday. You can register here for whatever option you choose! If you register for the entire retreat you will receive a FREE swag bag!

To help get everyone excited about this fun babywearing retreat, we are doing a GIVEAWAY!

One lucky winner will win a waldorf inspired babywearing doll created from Rhockett Weaving scraps!

The contest begins TODAY and will end Friday, March 13th! I will post the winner on my Facebook page. Good luck!

March 4, 2015

CAPPA Postpartum Doula Training

World Doula Week is fast approaching!

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I had never heard of a doula until after the birth of Monte and I definitely wish I had the support of a doula with his birth. When I discovered I was pregnant with Amelia, I knew I needed and wanted a doula. The women in the Des Moines area are very lucky with the amount of doulas that are available to help with birth.

During World Doula Week, I am looking forward to sharing with you the awesome resources we have in our area, why you need a doula for your birth, what is involved to become one and an AWESOME giveaway 🙂

For now, I want to focus and share with you an awesome opportunity coming to Des Moines. Midwest Mom & Wife is hosting a CAPPA Postpartum Doula Training! If you are wanting to become a postpartum doula or are interested in increasing your skills and education, in this field, this is for you.

CAPPA is a pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum organization.

“Since 1998, CAPPA’s mission has been to offer comprehensive, evidence-based education, certification, professional membership and training to childbirth educators, lactation educators, labor doulas, antepartum doulas and postpartum doulas worldwide. CAPPA is proud to provide new and expectant families access to these professionals here. Cappa is a non-profit organization headquartered in the USA, with branches worldwide.”

You will learn:

Scope of your Doula Practice
How to support parents
Breastfeeding support
Baby care techniques
Calming & soothing techniques
Postpartum mood disorders
SIDS/Back to sleep campaigns
Listening & communication skills
Record keeping & contracts
Creating & Marketing your business
Networking soultions

This whole workshop is going to be AWESOME 🙂

The After Baby Lady, from Michigan, is a certified CAPPA instructor and will be leading our Postpartum Doula Training.

This event will be held May 30th & 31st in Des Moines, Iowa. Location is to be determined! Please share and spread the word!

Please print, post & share the flier!

CAPPAPPDOULA

March 2, 2015

YMCA Preschool Programs: Tumble Tots

I love the YMCA they have so much to offer! I cannot wait until they build the new Northwest YMCA so all of their awesome resources are a bit closer to home.

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YMCA has some awesome classes for different ages, that you must register for. I decided to sign Monte up for Tumble Tots because he absolutely loves running around, climbing, and bouncing. This class ended up being perfect for him!

Tumble Tots is for ages 3 to 5 years old with an accompanied adult. It is slightly structured, but not too much. Monte likes to do his own thing and does not have much patience, so the fact that there is not much structure, is nice.

Tumble Tots always opens up with stretching, which the instructors make lots of fun! They have the kids act like animals, pretend they are in space, and other scenarios that get their imaginations rolling. They also sometimes do “sit-ups” and running around the gym (Monte’s favorite). Afterwards, the kids are free to run around to the different stations and play. The instructors walk around and help at each station. They show the kids different things they can do.

They have a trampoline.

A balance beam to walk on.

A spring board to jump from.

Tunnel to crawl through.

They also have tumbling mats, a bar to swing and hang from, and mats to help you learn how to do a cartwheel!

Tumble Tots is a 4-week class and it is $15 for members, $35 for non-member.

Tumble Tots and other programs/sports the YMCA offers are a perfect way to introduce your toddler to new activities and sports. It is very affordable and the classes last a short-period of time. If they are not interested, then you know that it isn’t the way to go, before spending a lot of money for a long term program/sport.

They also offer:

Tiny Tumblers 18 months – 3 years

Fun & Fit 3-5 years

Kids in the Kitchen 3-5 years

Music & Movement 2-5 years

Tiny Chefs 18 months- 3 years

Moving with Music 18 months – 3 years

I highly recommend checking out all the classes the YMCA has to offer. Not only do they have classes for toddlers, but they also offer classes for grade school children and adults! Check out here for their online registration where you can search for a class and register all online!

February 25, 2015

BabyGuyNYC: MommyCon 2015

If you have not seen yet … I am giving away two FREE tickets to MommyCon Minneapolis which is being held on April 18th!

Link to blog post, to enter!

One of the rules to this giveaway is for you to comment, what you are looking forward to the most. A lot of you are looking forward to seeing BabyGuyNYC!

I was lucky to see him last year, at MommyCon Chicago and LOVED him! He is so funny and knows sooooo much.

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Those of you who do not know or have never heard of Jamie Grayson aka BabyGuyNYC, let me tell you the top 3 reasons why you should be looking forward to seeing him!

He is funny and entertaining! He has a BFA in Acting and a Minor in English. Before he began his gig as “baby guru” , he acted in theaters, and traveled on a cruise ship.
He knows everything baby! From strollers to breast pumps. He started off as a product demonstrator at Buy Buy Baby in New York City. After awhile, he began doing his own research about every known baby product and was even recommending to Buy Buy Baby what to sell. He also did personal shops, with expecting parents and was booked 2-4 months in advance! Everyone wanted to know what The Baby Guy had to recommend.
Not only has he worked at Buy Buy Baby he has also worked at RealBirth in New York City. He worked with doulas and lactation consultants. This allowed him to give more knowledge and insight beyond the products. He is knowledgable about childbirth and the parenting process.

The Baby Guy has been featured and can be found pretty much anywhere in the baby world including:

“Gear Guy” for Strollertraffic.com
New York Times
Fit Pregnancy
American Baby
The LA Times
The Seattle Times
Babble
Cool Mom Picks
OH Baby Magazine
Drool Baby Expo
MommyCon (yay!)
Brooklyn Baby Expo
Big City Moms
And MORE!

You can follow The Baby Guy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

He also sends out a newsletter, which you can sign up for here!

Make sure to check out the Baby Guy Gear Guide for more information about him, events, products, and more!

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February 23, 2015

Every Family Rocks 2015!

We checked out Every Family Rocks! this past weekend and well, it ROCKED!

Monte and the entire family had a blast! Not only was the entire Science Center open to roam through, but there was also live music, crafts, jugglers, balloon animals, face painting and more!

Every Family Rocks! is a family fun event and concert for all ages. This event benefits EFR Employee & Family Resources. It was free for Science Center members, $8 for ages 2-12, $13 for Adults & $8 for Seniors.

There were some awesome bands and singers. I loved all the upbeat music and all the movement, from all the kids! Everyone was dancing and hula hooping around 🙂 Artists included:

Aaron Nigel Smith: I absolutely loved him and his band! I loved their reggae type vibe and we had a lot of fun dancing to their music.
Justin Roberts & The Not Ready For Naptime Players: Another fun and creative band that all the kids loved!
Debbie Do Wop & Dynamite Dan: These guys were so much fun and very entertaining! They had colorful scarves to dance with and other awesome instruments to play with!

Monte loved the Sparkle Hula Hoop dance, balloon animals and magic from Jonathan May, and trying all the different instruments available from Rieman Music Interactive Music Booth.

There were also some great craft stations such as a DIY yarn streamer and animal rocks.

We had so much fun and Monte was definitely exhausted after we left! We are looking forward to next year’s Every Family Rocks!

February 21, 2015

MommyCon Minneapolis Tickets Giveaway

Let’s have another giveaway!!! 🙂

I will be giving away 2 FREE tickets to 2 separate winners to MommyCon Minneapolis!

MommyCon Minneapolis is Saturday, April 18th.

Here are some blog posts, I have already posted with some great information about what you can expect!

MommyCon Minneapolis 2015 – What is MommyCon?
MommyCon Chicago 2015 – Chicago Schedule announced!
Cloth Diapering Resource Center
Great Cloth Diaper Change: MommyCon Minneapolis

Update: MommyCon Minneapolis has changed venue! It is now being held at the Marriott City Center. Check out here for information on booking a discounted room.

I will announce a winner on Saturday, February 28th!

February 17, 2015

Science Sleuths at the Urbandale Public Library

The kids and I checked out Science Sleuths Friday at the Urbandale Public Library. The Urbandale Public Library has become one of our favorite hang outs this winter. They have so much to offer!

On the second Friday of every month, they offer Science Sleuths. This is a half hour program, that takes place in the story room. Each session has a different lesson. Friday’s lesson was ‘Sink or Float’. The kids had a blast learning about items that could sink or float!

We first listened to a couple of stories explaining why some items may sink or float.

Then we did a hands on activity to discover for ourselves, what sinks or floats. Our teacher brought in a large tub full of water and several different items such as: a plastic spoon, penny, balloon, CD, and more! She placed two signs up on the walls, in separate areas of the room. One sign read ‘sink’ and the other sign read ‘float’. Before she placed the item in the tub, the kids had to go stand by the sign that read what they thought would happen! Not only was this a good learning experience, but it also got the kids up and moving!

After the activity the kids were able to create their own sail boats using foam cups and/or trays, a dowel, paper, and tape. The kids enjoyed cutting and taping and creating their own boats that would sink or float in the tub of water. Some kids also experimented with placing items on their boats, to see if it would still float.

The kids were also given a worksheet to take home to extend their learning!

I highly recommend Science Sleuths! This is a FREE class! It is designed for children ages 3 years to 6 years, accompanied by an adult. I was also able to bring Amelia in with me. She enjoyed listening and watching 🙂 You must pre-register by calling 331-4490.

Do not miss next months Science Sleuths!

February 14, 2015

PBS for Kids

I recently just discovered what all PBS Kids has to offer! There are so many resources, besides the regular programming. I was able to create a Curious George themed day for the kiddos, using all of these resources!

Here are few links to help you extend the lessons your kids learn from the shows …

PBS Kids – Lots of videos, games and apps!
PBS Learning Media – My favorite! Free! You can sort by grade and subject. This will filter all videos, activities and more to help your child learn.
PBS Kids Play – Educational games. There is a free trial, but after trial costs $9.95 a month
Pinterest – You can always find something on Pinterest 🙂

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We started off reading, one of the several Curious George books we have, Curious George Learns the Alphabet.

Pinterest, of course, also has some great print-outs and resources. I found some matching number cards, I printed and laminated. I also printed off some coloring pages for the kids to learn colors and shapes. You can find them here.

We also learned our shapes and colors by playing with some bean bags I already had. Monte and the other kids love to toss them and it is another great way to learn shapes and colors! You can purchase them here!

After all of our activities we watched an episode of Curious George, ate some bananas and peanut butter and the best part … they played with their Curious George masks!

We chose to have a Curious George day because we went and visited Curious George at IPTV on Monday. The kids had a blast! They were able to meet Curious George, had snacks, did a craft, and they were given a tour of IPTV from Dan Wardell.

My favorite thing about PBS Kids is the fact they use characters like super heros, monkeys, and trains, that entice the kiddos to learn. Every show and every episode the kids learn something. It may be words, letters, manners, or numbers. I highly recommend adding PBS Kids to your daily routine and not just the programming! Hop on to any of the sites listed above and pick out an activity to extend your kids learning.

February 12, 2015

Great Cloth Diaper Change: MommyCon Minneapolis

Have you ever heard of or participated in the Great Cloth Diaper Change?! If you are a cloth diaper lover, this is an annual event for you!

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If you are attending MommyCon Minneapolis on Saturday, April 18th, YOU can participate in the 5th annual Great Cloth Diaper Change with everyone at MommyCon. All Things Diapers is helping coordinate the details of this event.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change is when everyone gets together on the same date and time every year and changes a cloth diaper. Last year, there were participates on 6 different continents and the world record was broken. There were 188 events hosted all over and 8,459 babies were changed.

This year, they are hoping to break that record AGAIN!

The purpose of the Great Cloth Diaper Change is to spread the word about the many benefits of cloth diapering. There are financial, health, environmental, convenience and other benefits that make cloth diapering great!

Keep your eyes open for even more details for the MommyCon Minneapolis, Great Cloth Diaper Change. It is another reason for you to go!

February 10, 2015

Disney Jr. Live! 2015

Monte experienced his first, live show on Sunday! When we heard Disney Jr. Live! was coming to town we KNEW we had to purchase tickets to take Monte. I was a little worried about how well he would do sitting there, but once the show began, I knew there was nothing to worry about.

This tour was the Disney Jr. Live! Pirate and Princess Adventure. Monte LOVES Jake and the Neverland Pirates. He loves anything pirates right now. We dressed him up like Jake and he looked adorable!

At the beginning of the show, while everyone is getting seated and adjusted, Doc McStuffins comes out with her toy “Monte” the Monster Truck (what a coincidence!) 🙂 All the children helped Doc make her truck feel better.

Of course, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were there! They helped introduce the princesses and pirates!

The first half of the show was Sofia the First and all the princesses, including Cinderella!

The second half of the show was Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Peter Pan!

Monte enjoyed dancing, singing and getting involved in all the stories.

If you have not taken your children to a live show before, I think this one would be perfect.

WARNING: Be prepared to spend a ridiculous amount of extra money on light up toys, snow cones and food :/