I was so jazzed to learn that my buddy and writing colleague, Tina Tessina, Ph.D., was intrigued by my post about my new quilt (made from my son’s baby clothes) from Campus Quilt Company.

Seems that Tina and her husband, Richard, had saved many t-shirts from their travels together, and she had been thinking, for years, of having them made into a quilt. When she saw the beautiful quilt created for me by Campus Quilt Company, she decided to order one of her own.

It’s goegeous! I’m so glad I was able to share something here that sparked an idea in a friend, leading to a wonderful gift for her husband.

Check out Tina’s quilt over on her Dr. Romance Blog. And check out the rest of the blog, too. Hey, every parent deserves a little romance in his or her life. It ain’t all about diapers and curfews, people!

My buddy Jen Singer over at MommaSaid.net is offering, in this great video, what might be the best gift we moms can receive on Mother’s Day: A reminder to Trust Your Gut. (Another great gift? Jen’s books. I love her Stop Second-Guessing Yourself series.)

Thanks, Jen! Happy Mother’s Day, and thanks for helping us have a laugh.

E-cards are so popular these days, we usually don’t even think to worry about opening them. And most are safe. But Consumer Reports warns that scammers sometimes use ecards to do their dirty work:

“Scammers frequently have used bogus e-card messages to spread computer viruses and other malware. Such messages contain holiday-related subject lines but include nasty attachments or hyperlinks. For example, in 2008, the FBI warned that e-card emails were being used to spread the Storm Worm Trojan horse, which allowed outsiders to commander Windows computers.”

Check out Consumer Reports’ tips on safely receiving Mother’s Day E-cards.

(Full disclosure: I’m the social media reporter for Consumer Reports. Follow me on Twitter at @CReporter for great consumer tips and conversation!)

P.S. Yes, I’m shameless. Just had to share a picture of my baby boy, who is now 14 and taller than me!

I want to be Kelly Corrigan when I grow up. The author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, The Middle Place, has a new book, Lift (soon to be reviewed here), and a new video that will bring a lump to your throat.

Lift celebrates the successes and trials of motherhood, and this video is what Kelly calls the thank you inspired by the women she knows.

I love how she put it together. Through Facebook, Kelly asked her friends and fans to list all of the things that mothers want to be thanked for and to share photos. Kelly compiled a photo montage and a voiceover, all edited by her seventeen-year-old neighbor who will be attending NYU Film School this fall.

With Mother’s Day approaching, this is the perfect time to thank your mom — and to pay tribute to all the moms you know. Send mom a link to this video. Then write her a letter telling her what you appreciate about her and thanking her for all she’s done. Happy Mother’s Day!

As the mom of a 14 year old, there’s always pressure to enroll my kid in the latest “enrichment” activity… Summer reading, music lessons, sports lessons… Fortunately, after a few years, you realize there are only so many hours in a day — and so many dollars in a budget — and you find a happy balance.

But woe to the soon-to-be new parents out there, who are now being told they need to enrich their child before he even has a chance to take his first breath. Take the BabyPlus Prenatal Education System, a product that straps onto Mom’s bulging belly, emitting 16 varied sounds that resemble a mother’s heartbeat.

For $149, your unborn baby has class twice a day for an hour, and the sonic pattern introduces her to a sequential learning process, based on the natural rhythms of the womb. (So the natural rhythms of the womb aren’t enough?) The rhythms of the sounds increase incrementally as the pregnancy progresses. Until what? The baby pops out snapping his fingers, doing calculus and demanding an iPod?

(more…)

I just heard about this fun children’s boutique, Ladybugs and Lilypads. It’s an adorable site, with more pink and polka dots that I’ve ever seen in one place.

The shop was founded in 2007 by Sara Tyndall, a former teacher and now a stay-at-home (homeschooling) mom.

With two young children at home, Sara decided she wanted to share her passion for adorable children’s clothing along with fun whimsical furniture and decor for nurseries and children’s bedrooms.

Many of the items are made by “mom-preneurs.” I love that Sara supports other moms. And I like to support sites like this that offer wonderful products while allowing entrepreneurial moms to be at home with their kids. (And we all know they are putting in 26-hour days!) Talk about a win-win. Check out the site!

Yep, I know, I look like a dweeb going for a walk with a fanny pack. But sometimes I have so much little stuff with me when I walk:  iPod, keys, cell, lip balm…

Then I received a free sample, for review, of a new product called SPIBELT (Small Personal Item Belt). The compartment looks too tiny to hold much of anything, but it’s stretchy (and actually holds all my necessities) and it also doesn’t bounce around when I walk — a major improvement.

There are several different styles, starting at $19.95. As a busy mom, I’m always looking for ways to make life easier. This definitely does the trick when I’m walking the dog in the morning, and it would make a great holiday gift for a parent, teen or tween.

Now if it would only pick up the dog poop!

I love stopping by frequently to see what my new friend Stephanie has to say over at Metropolitan Mama. And something she said recently, on the subject of gift buying, gift giving and what really matters in our lives,  caught my attention:

“THINGS are so overrated. Things get tossed aside and put under the bed and – eventually – given away. People stick around. People matter. As such, the gift of time is a thousand times more valuable than the most expensive present.”

It’s important to make memories with those we love as opposed to allowing presents to shape occasions, she adds. “Instead of concentrating on presents, I think it’s fun to focus in on special experiences. Rather than purchasing a gift, plan a special camping trip or a fancy dress-up dinner or a picnic in the backyard. Spending money on good hiking boots or brilliant watercolors or ingredients for making a cake (WITH your child) is money that is well spent.”

I applaud Stephanie’s values and I think she speaks about them so beautifully. She really lives what she believes. It’s good food for thought as I make my own Christmas gift list.

When I was a kid, I loved what I used to call "bubble stuff." I'd run around the yard with my soapy mixture and my bubble wand. But it never occurred to me that bubbles could be colored.

Now that's cool.

Just heard about Zubbles for the first time the other day. You can order here. They're not cheap. Not by a long shot. A pack containing two 4-oz. bottles (pink + blue) runs $14.95 plus shipping.

But they sure do look cool.

As a mom, my first thought was "what a mess it will be when these bubbles break and get all over kids' clothes."

Nope. The
color in Zubbles disappears when exposed to pressure (i.e., when the bubble breaks). So kids can create these gorgeous colored orbs, but you don't have to go crazy when you do the laundry.

Gotta love that.

Every year, our family looks forward to getting Heifer International's
catalog in the mail and choosing a gift of shares of a sheep, shares of a pig, etc. that can make a
difference in the lives of families living in poverty around the world. 

But New Jersey-based writer Melody Moser, who blogs over at Journeys Near and Far, did more than just send a check. She visited Heifer Ranch in Arkansas, and learned all about the organization and the cool stuff they're doing.

Check out her post, share it with your kids and then visit Heifer International and make a donation. (You can also learn more by watching this three-minute video.) Is there any better way to celebrate the holidays than by helping those who are truly in need?