The secrets to successfully clipping babies' nails

by Eric

Nail clipping can be an arduous event. Babies wiggle, whine, squirm away. and twenty minutes later you still have the other hand to do. The toes come next, can't forget the- come on, just let me clip your - okay, forget this, we'll do toes later. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe when you realize how hard it is to crawl when your talons are catching in the carpet. You just enjoy your mismatched pedicure, okay?

My secret to getting through this twenty-digit Lernæan task is distraction: Hello, internet flash videos!

Space is Fun Level 1 distraction (3 to 5 nails*)

If I had a nickel for every person who didn't love space worms harmonizing on a spinning meteor, I would owe money. This one gets kids from other rooms rushing in to get their nails clipped too.

A Lost Dog Finds his Way Home Level 2 distraction (4-10 nails)

This cute tale can usually get you through both hands on a sedate baby, but let's be realistic. Contains fun for the whole family! Also includes a demonic duck and an anthropomorphic cigarette, which my 3 year old calls the "funny stick with a face".

Ninja Level 3 distraction (9-18 nails)

This video is so awesome an Argentinian ad agency plagiarized the music and design to advertise for Coca Cola.

Mango! Level ∞ (20+ nails)

That's right, that plus is not a typo - since Mango is on a loop, you can get a lot out of it - especially if you're looking to get the song "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies out of your head (sorry about that).

* Please note that these are rough estimates of babies who don't decide the music means it's DANCING TIME!

Eric is dad to 3.5 year old Kiernan and 11 month old twins Quinn and Juliette. 

My Kids Funky Closet

by Brie While I am not as frugal as I would always like to be, I do love a good deal. I will always buy from the sale rack if possible. I love garage sale shopping (I think that has to do with being an ex-Winnipeger). When possible I will always buy clothes second-hand, especially for my kids.

My kids wear their clothes hard. The pieces they wear regularly get dirty, stained and ripped. I like to think of the clothes as lived in. In fact, I like to think that my kids move into their clothes and squat there until they are evicted.

All this to say I am reluctant to pay full price for clothes. Luckily, I discovered My Kids Funky Closet three years ago and I have been supplying their closet from there ever since.

My Kids Funky Closet is a twice a year consignment sale at the Glebe Community Centre. The next sale is Sunday, April 25th. The doors open at 10 am and it is worth getting there on time because the place quickly fills up. They have clothes for all ages, but the largest selection is usually for kids two and under. They also sell toys, books, shoes, outerwear, high chairs and strollers. Basically anything you could possibility think a baby or kid would need.

One thing I like about this sale is that the items are priced by the sellers. What this means is that you can often get great deals as people look to sell off clothes for a few dollars apiece. It also means that somethings can be over priced, but I have always walked away with at least a bag full of goodies.

Last fall I decided to consign some clothes for the first time, mostly the clothes that the kids never wore or somehow ended up only fitting off-season. It took some work to price and tag everything but in the end I was happy. I managed to sell more than I bought. I would consider that a success!

I will be there again on the 25th looking for t-shirts and dresses for my almost 4-year-old. When I am done I will go for coffee with friends on Bank Street and we will compare our purchases. It sounds like the perfect Sunday to me.

Brie is the mom of a 3.5 year daughter "the girl" and eighteen month old son "the boy". You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Have a Mommy's Night In!

by Jenn One great way of having fun with Freezer Cooking is to get together with a few friends and make a bunch of meals together.  You can each choose a recipe, agree on how many each person will make, then get together at someone house and each make your own recipe. 

 If you have 4 people who each make just 8 meals of their recipe, then each person will go home with 8 meals, 2 of each recipe!  This is a great way to try 4 new recipes without have to make all 4 recipes.  You can also just do a swap if nobody has the time to get together.  Kind of like a cookie exchange - a frozen meal exchange! 

Get the dads to get the kids out of the house on a Saturday afternoon and have fun!  Maybe even some wine for those who can!  :)

Jenn is mom to five-year old Jacob and two and a half year old Zachary. You can find her at Invitations by Jenn.

Decorating your kids' rooms

I have a slight addiction to scouring the web for kids' room decorating ideas. When I was pregnant with Joel I spent hours on end searching for the perfect nursery room decor, and the addiction continued into my planning of his big boy room! His room isn't completely finished, but I chose a vintage transportation theme with trains and airplanes. In my searching, I have come across a few fantastic websites that I'd love to share with you. I'm sure I'll have more to add once I start planning my daughter's big girl room! Pottery Barn Kids This is where I go to window shop for my dream playroom. If only I had the space, and the means to create a space as cool as this for my kids. You can also shop for boy, girl or baby themed rooms, furniture and accessories too. I'm trying to think of a way I can convince my husband that we need to get this dollhouse bookshelf for my daughter. She neeeeeds it, right?

The Land of Nod I stumbled upon this site when I was looking for some vintage inspired transportation items for Joel's room. I picked up these airplane curtain tie backs and they look great!

They have a huge selection of artwork for kids rooms, and some really fun bedding too. I would love to get a clothes tree like this for his room. You can also find quite a selection of knock-knock jokes on this site!

Just My Luck Designs If you are into wall decals, you should check out this shop! I picked up this very cool train decal for Joel's room. It's above his bed, and it just makes his room pop!

Restoration Hardward Baby & Child What's not to love about Restoration Hardware? I bet you didn't know they have a baby & child department! I've been getting their catalog for a while now, and it makes me drool. Monograms! Polkadots! Convertible cribs! Oh my!

Rosenberry Rooms This is the mother of all kids decorating websites! You can find furniture, decor, bedding, accessories and art in any theme you can possibly imagine! Search by colour, or pattern, or sport or animal for whatever you imagine in your kids rooms. You name it, you'll find it here.

Warm Biscuit The most adorable bedding and fabric ever.

In case you were wondering, I decided on a Twinkle Twinkle Little Star theme for Joel's nursery (since I didn't know what I was having, it seemed pretty gender neutral). This was my inspiration. And here is the room - I took these photos just before my daughter was born in June, after we moved Joel into his big boy room and set the crib up again. I did end up buying the bedding and mobile you see in the photo.

Vicky is mom to a 3.5 year old boy Joel and nine month old girl Mieka. She also blogs at Some kind of Wondermom.

Bob MacQuarrie pool

by Vicky Here's a little tip for new parents wanting to take their babies swimming, or thinking about signing up for swimming lessons for the first time. The Bob MacQuarrie Recreational Complex (previously known as the Orleans Recreation Centre), has a heated kids pool!

The city offers a Preschool Swim on Wednesdays from 2:00-3:00pm from April 6 to June 27th. Check out the schedule for more public swimming times.

Vicky is mom to a 3.5 year old boy Joel and ten month old girl Mieka. She also blogs at Some kind of Wondermom.