Recently, my girlfriend, Rebecca and I took our four year olds to a production at the Oregon Children's Theater in downtown Portland. Rebecca and I have a common goal of wanting to expose our children to the arts.  Given the attention span that comes with being four, I was amazed at how captivating the live production was for the kids.  We saw "Petite Rouge" (a Cajun version of Little Red Riding Hood - an alligator instead of a wolf - you get the idea).  The costumes were colorful, the songs captivating and the acoustics in the Newmark Theater were great.  The cost was reasonable too - tickets run anywhere from $13 to $24 dollars. And, after the show, all the characters were available to autograph the programs for the kids.  A nice added bonus, but quite a mob scene.

The show was about an hour, just perfect for the little ones.  You can rent booster seats for a dollar which just adds to the fun for the kids.  If you haven't checked it out, I highly suggest it.  And, it's fun for the

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In my opinion, the second trimester is the best out of the three.  The first is kind of hard because not everyone knows your pregnant, therefore they don't understand why you are so tired and spacy, grumpy, and or hungry.  For me  it is a trimester full of worries and wishing I could feel my baby move so I know everything is allright in there.  The third sorta stinks because now your uncomfortable with an achy back, and I personally tend to get pretty impatient waiting for the day I get to meet the little person bouncing on my bladder and kicking me in the ribs.  I'm usually back to that tired spacy feeling...maybe because I wake up to pee ten times a night!  These are the reasons why I like the second trimester the best.  The "baby bump" still looks cute rather than huge and maybe even covered in stretch marks, I have a little bit more energy and feeling my baby move brings me so much comfort that all is well.  Not that the whole journey isn't exciting and a total miracle, but man

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Sometimes things happen and I think, I'm going to write a blog on that!  And sometimes I make it to the computer and actually do it:)  Yesterday I was reminded of an important lesson.  Stop, and really enjoy life.  I was having one of those days where nothing seemed to get done.  We had put some stuff on craigslist to make some room and I was dealing with calls and emails.  All the while trying to keep the house picked up..and why?  So strangers who were coming to buy our stuff wouldn't think I was messy?  The kids sensed I had extra tasks and seemed to need a few extra things done for them too.  Long story short, I was hot, tired, and frustrated.  Then it was time to make dinner.  Now usually I include Emma in "helping" with making dinner, but today I asked Wes (and honestly probably not in a very nice tone) to make sure the kitchen was quiet and I could have some alone time while cooking.  While I was grumbling to myself about my day I heard Wes start reading Emma the book she had

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In the mother baby support groups that I work with, many parents are educating themselves and taking action to reduce the amount of toxins their families are exposed to.  Several of them are making their own organic baby food.   Others are using cloth diapers and being mindful of the toys and plastics they bring into their homes.  I hear them talk about the many local stores and agencies dedicated to educating and supporting parent's efforts to be healthier.

Recently, I learned about the Healthy Family program which is sponsored by the Oregon Environmental Council.  I went to their website www.oeconline.org/our-work/kidshealth/tinyfootprints and found a vast amount of information regarding ways to create a healthier environment for children, babies and their families.  The site provides useful tips for the home, yard, nursery, schools, work place and more.  

For those of you who need to give a baby shower for someone check out the Tiny Footprints Baby Shower Kit on the OEC site.  It

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This is my fourth pregnancy and I still have daily questions and or concerns!  My Doctor has got to be the most patient woman in the world!  Every other week or so I call her, convinced something is strange or wrong...and every time she patiently reassures me that everything is ok.  When I visit her I usually have a list of questions as well.   So, when I am in one of these worried moods or I just wonder about something I tend to look online.  How on earth did pregnant women make it without the internet?!  Well here are some really great sites I have found to have some answers:)

www.franklypregnant.com 

www.babycenter.com

www.justmommies.com  This one has a neat calendar you can check daily to see what your baby is up to:)

Happy

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So, Reaghan is two weeks away from officially being two!  As I was sitting here exhausted from chasing her around a friends house for a birthday party. (If you have, or have had a toddler, you know how hard it is to take them to someones house who does not have a toddler! )  While I was watching her thinking how much she can wear me out and remembering why it's called the "terrible twos" Wes noticed we needed to return our netflix, grabbed it and ran out to the mailbox.  Reaghan saw the door open and ran to the coat closet, put on a pair of Emma's shoes, a glove, and a hat.  (she does not care that its 70 degrees out)  Then by the time she made it to the front door Wes was back in with the door shut.  I realized, how incredibly frustrating it must be to be a toddler!  She knows everything going on around her, but can't say more than a few words.  She has a good idea of what she wants, but really no control over anything.  She is always being told to "walk away" and "just look with

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I've never seen so many pregnant women and babies in one place at one time. This last weekend I attended the Just Between Friends giant consignment sale at the Portland Expo Center. I was there as an exhibitor for Vancouver Family Magazine, so I got to witness the event almost from start to finish. As a resale and consignment junkie myself (buying, not selling - my kids are so hard on clothes that it's a miracle if they grow out of them without destroying them), the huge hall full of great baby/kid/maternity stuff was a dream come true. I snagged a couple of high quality pairs of jeans for my daughters for $3-$4 each! Other than great baby and kids' clothing, there was also a huge selection of strollers, toys, walkers, car seats, cribs and all the other supplies little ones need as part of their entourage - all at a fraction of the original price. The sale is so big, it only happens twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. I'm looking forward to

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