Tip of the Week: A Mammoth LEGO Event

Is your child a lover of LEGOs? If so, visit The Field Museum Friday, August 6th through Sunday, August 8th to take part in reconstructing the Ice Age, LEGO style. A LEGO Master Builder will be creating giant murals of some of the biggest creatures in history, including mammoths and mastodons! Free with general admission, this exhibit even allows children to participate, assisting the builder as he recreates a scene from long, long ago. For more information click here.

Tip of the Week: Beat the Heat!

We've been enjoying a warm Chicago summer, but with the sun comes the heat, which can be a challenge with a little one strapped among all of the padding and straps of their strollers and car seats. As I tell the mother’s in my stroller fitness class, a quick way to ensure that your child is comfortable is to wrap a small, soft lunch-box size ice pack in a towel and place it in the stroller with them. The ice pack should be wrapped securely so it can't touch your babies skin or interfere with the safety of the straps. I've found this to be an easy and inexpensive way to "air condition" your child’s stroller and beat the summer heat!

Tip of the Week: "Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning"

A Triple B Mom recently sent me a link to a blog entry written by coast guard and maritime safety expert, Mario Vittone, called "Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning". What an eye-opener! I encourage you all to take a few minutes and read this, it could help you to recognize and prevent a life-threatening water situation.

Tip of the Week: Space Saving Solutions

Thank you to Milly, a Triple B blog contributor, for writing this week's tip of the week!

Easy solutions to your lunch time, bath time and diaper changing woes!

Lunch time: The quick solution to plastic bag overload? Boon’s new "Snack Ball", a convenient spherical snack container that splits in half for easy loading and cleaning and "snap-shut" lid to keep the snacks safely inside. No need to worry about squishing your snacks with this hard, round, travel-friendly snack solution!

Bath time: After the kids are dried off and put to bed, there is still the matter of bathroom clean up. This is where Boon’s "Bug Pod" comes into play. The adorable storage pod adheres to your bathtub wall and has a shelf for your kiddie shampoos. Detach the front to quickly scoop up any toys in the bath, and rehang with the knowledge that the holes at the bottom will allow for drainage to help dry the toys quickly.

Diaper changing: Boon does it again with "Stash" their multi-purpose room organizer that is perfect for keeping small items handy. This sleek little number is perfect for your changing table, bathroom or kitchen!

As if the products themselves weren't enough, there is even more incentive to buy these handy helpers! Boon donates 10% of all their profits to children's charities.

Tip of the Week: "Momtourage"

I wrote an article for the Expectant Mothers Guide of Chicago on the importance of surrounding yourself with other mom friends after you have a child. It's available to read online here and will be printed in their fall issue. I'm thrilled for you all to read my first published article! It's dedicated to my "momtourage": Jessica, Cami, Catherine, Suz and Julie.

Tip of the Week: Gelato A Go-Go

If you haven't taken a stroll down Division Street lately, it is a great time of year to check out it's family-friendly fair of boutiques and child-friendly restaurants. Most of the restaurants have outdoor seating this time of year which make them great places to dine with children.

My new favorite is Caffé Gelato at 2034 West Division Street in Wicker Park. Their homemade gelato is utterly delicious and so light that you can almost convince yourself you're eating something healthy!

With both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a parking lot, it is a stroller-accessible and family friendly option for the perfect summer afternoon treat. If you can resist the gelato, they have sandwiches too!

Tip of the Week: A Green Solution to Sandwich Bags

In my house, we go through plastic sandwich baggies like crazy. Whether for snacks, toys or travel, it seems I can’t live without a box of these on hand. I would hate to think about how my family has contributed to the 12 million plastic bags that fill our landfills!

Three moms in Pennsylvania were discussing this very problem when they came up with an alternative to the plastic baggie dilemma -- LunchSkins. LunchSkins are cute, food safe, dishwasher-friendly reusable bags. Not only will you be helping to save the environment, but over time these reusable bags will save you money too!

Click here to visit the LunchSkins website and store.