Jeans are a wardrobe workhorse so you deserve ones that fit properly and make you feel fabulous. Today, Kate reports on a terrific North End boutique dedicated to helping you find the perfect fit. (Also see our earlier leads on great inexpensive and mid-range denim options.)
Jeans are a wardrobe workhorse so you deserve ones that fit properly and make you feel fabulous. Today, Kate reports on a terrific North End boutique dedicated to helping you find the perfect fit. (Also see our earlier leads on great inexpensive and mid-range denim options.)
As an adolescent, my parents never discussed anything human body-related; I subsequently got all of my (somewhat sketchy) information about sex, periods, etc. from my older siblings and friends. I’m thus determined to keep the communication channels open with Laurel (and she’s already been testing me here…). Today, Amy Cody offers ideas to help frame your conversations about sex and sexuality with your child:
Few things stress parents like having family, friends, or professionals raise their eyebrows when they hear that your babe hasn’t done X, Y, or Z by a specific age. I’ve already made clear my thoughts on statistical variability and individual differences (see Redshirting), and today we’re grateful to Kate for sharing her story and lead regarding Early Intervention:
After finishing grad school, Jon and I did something fit for the truly crazy and devoted; we moved back to our beloved, exorbitant city without jobs. And as we pushed interviews and grant applications along, we played cribbage, pursued creative endeavors, drank a lot of coffee, and tried not to panic. One artistic by-product from this time is a self-portrait I made during an oil painting class; it appears to be a wishful, creamy-complexioned salute to the days before I obliviously “rotisserized” (my friend Braden’s term for sunbathing) and set off a spray of freckles across my face. These freckles may look kind of cute, but they’re officially sun damage.
A local reader wrote in with a tip about Chatterboxes, a group of pediatric speech pathologists in Boston. She writes: “We had trouble with the hospitals as their waiting lists were long and our son couldn't be seen for 7 months. Chatterboxes is the only pediatric SLP private practice in Greater Boston…we were excited to find them. Chatterboxes came through and helped our son tremendously.”
Chatterboxes doesn’t yet have a live website; contact them at 617-723-TALK.
UPDATE (8/3/07): The reader who submitted this tip wrote in with a link to the Chatterboxes website. Much appreciated!
If you’re looking to simplify your shopping routine and enjoy a variety of organic groceries delivered to your doorstop, check out Boston Organics. Reader Jude from Medford (a happy Boston Organics customer for almost four years) wrote in with high praise for the Weekly Box service. The variety of produce encourages her family to try new foods, and her kids even see the delivery box and shout “fruit and veggies!” (she can’t guarantee that as a result for everyone, of course…).
Box options start at $27 and can include fruits, vegetables, or a mix of the two delivered every week or every other week. And if you have allergies or aversions to certain produce, you can request to not have them included in your produce box. Boston Organics also recently has added a variety of other grocery items to choose from, including bread, chocolate, and dairy. Click here to see their delivery areas.
Sometimes you just don’t have the steam to get dinner together at the end of a hectic day. If you’re looking for take out meals suitable for the whole family (I have yet to meet a kid who doesn't like pasta and cheese), guest contributor Jules (our house professional foodie) recommends checking out the fresh, flavorful dinners and sauces of Capone Foods in Cambridge and Somerville:
“The storefront is discreet, but don’t be fooled; the food is anything but. Capone Foods, with its first location at 14 Bow Street (Somerville), and its new, second location at 2285 Mass. Ave. (North Cambridge), is warm and inviting and stacked to the ceilings with quality products.
Sometimes (particularly after a stretch of indulgent eating) serving as a fashion consultant to a friend is more fun than shopping for yourself. Yesterday I had great fun hitting the maternity pavement with a girlfriend desperately in need of bumpworthy business attire.
After checking out Target
Regular readers may know that Jon and I have developed skepticism about the ability to have a relaxed meal out with a busy two-year-old in establishments other than cafes or diners. But last night we tried again, and Laurel rewarded us by being an angelic dinner companion for nearly an hour and a half at Tamarind House in Porter Square.
It’s possible that the 15-minute post-nap tantrum over Laurel’s distaste for wearing pants depleted her crazy mojo reserve; or perhaps she’s just growing into a more mature dining out buddy. Those possibilities aside, a few other factors no doubt helped the cause. We hope these "dining dos" will prove useful for your future family dining:
A well-shaped brow can make even the most frazzled mommy feel utterly put together.
Yesterday I got the best eyebrow treatment ever while kicking back with Laurel at Baby Loves Disco. Arwen of The Salon at 10 Newbury brings her acclaimed eyebrow shaping prowess (she has been lauded by InStyle, Allure, and Boston Magazine) to this hottest ticket in town. (She is providing her services to BLD gratis so please tip kindly.) In the past I have asked other aestheticians to give my brows a slimmer, more arched shape and they all claimed it wouldn’t work. I thus didn’t bother making any specific requests, but Arwen shaped my brows exactly as I had always envisioned. I feel like a new woman.
It may prove tough to see Arwen at Baby Loves Disco if you don’t already have tickets (new dates into the summer already are sold out), so book an appointment with her on Newbury. You deserve it.
The Salon at 10 Newbury, 10 Newbury Street, Boston; Tel: 617-247-4900
Editor’s Note: This just in from our new friends at The Salon at 10 Newbury. Mention BostonMamas.com and receive a facial, eyebrow waxing, and blow dry for $125 (regularly valued at $160).
You’d think I would have backed off coffee once Laurel started saying, “Mommy has coffee breath! Laurel has milk breath!” but old habits die hard. If you’re downtown in the beautiful weather today and looking for an independent fix, check out Flatblack Coffee Company. Possibly the only independent cafe in the financial district, this Australian-themed, Boston-based gourmet coffee company offers single country of origin coffees from around the world; most products are organically grown, shade grown, and fair trade.
You can purchase Flatblack’s products online or visit their locations in Boston (50 Broad Street; Tel: 617-951-1440) and Dorchester (1170 Washington Street; Tel: 617-298-1800).
When I was in grad school I signed up for jazz, ballet, and hip hop lessons to shake up my fitness routine; it provided both a fabulous workout and a means to channel my closet desire to be a Broadway hoofer.
I’ve been thinking about revisiting dance here in Boston, and have heard great things about the Dance Complex in Central Square (the African dance classes are supposed to be especially killer). DanceNet offers a good directory of studios and freelance dancers in the Greater Boston area; the homepage also offers links to (less exhaustive) listings of classes and events in New England, nationwide, and worldwide.
Just in time for another chilly weekend…a local reader wrote in with high praise for Together in Motion in Arlington. This drop in play space offers Motion & More play sessions geared towards children ages 0-6 (every day of the week!). Admission rates are $7 for kids 1 year and up and $5 for kids under 1 year (infants under 6 months are admitted free when tagging along with a sibling). Group and individual multi-pass discounts also are available.
Together in Motion also soon will offer group exercise classes for women, including parallel sessions where kids can play while mom is working out. Check out their current schedule; birthday party services also are available on weekends.
Together in Motion, One Broadway, Arlington, Tel: 781-643-1377
Winter days in Boston don’t get more picturesque than today, where the snow falls light and pretty, and brushing off your car takes mere minutes.
All the better to leave you with time to bundle up and get your skating groove on at The Rink at The Charles Hotel. Located on the plaza side that opens out into Harvard Square, until early March the rink is open from 2pm - 8pm on weekdays and 10am - 8pm on weekends. Skate rentals are $5 and skating fees are $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12 years old.
And after cutting your figures, be sure to reward yourself with a decadent hot chocolate at L.A. Burdick’s on Brattle Street.
The Rink at The Charles Hotel, One Bennett Street, Cambridge; Tel: 617-234-8008
Hooray for more local indoor play spaces!
Kid's Fun Stop is suitable for children up to 6 years old, and offers drop in play (they have some impressive looking indoor climbing structures!), birthday parties, movement classes, and craft classes. Bring snacks for your babe to enjoy in the snack room, or purchase from the selection available.
Kid’s Fun Stop is open Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm and for birthday parties on the weekends. Click here for rates (starting at $10 for two hours of drop in time); repeat visitor punch cards are available, as well as periodic discounts on admission and birthday party booking.
Kid’s Fun Stop, 1580 VFW Pkwy, West Roxbury, Tel: 617-325-0800
I did Laurel a major disservice when I tried to cut her bangs for the first time. Despite cutting tips from a professional stylist pal, my efforts rendered a look disturbingly similar to Ralph Wiggam from The Simpsons.
So I gave up on bangs and moved to hairclips. This strategy worked well for the front, but the back – after a recent botched attempt – was looking pretty sorry. Following a strong recommendation from my mama pal Kate, we headed to Lulu's Kids' Cuts last weekend.
Truth be told, when I called to make the appointment I nearly backed out based on the price ($25; cash or check only), but it was worth it. Laurel got a great haircut, and the atmosphere was relaxed and pretty (it’s sort of like a hair salon meets gallery, with artwork, jewelry, and accessories for sale) yet kid friendly, with fun patterned smocks, a playroom downstairs, and ring pops at the end of the journey.
Lulu's Kids' Cuts, 2323 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, Tel: 617-876-2323
I don’t think I’ve ever had a conversation with my mother about tampons, and this morning I found myself discussing them with my 27-month-old.
Laurel had gotten herself into my bathroom toiletries, and as I worked out some preschooler-friendly explanations on the fly, I was reminded of the increased confidence I gained in having these types of conversations since attending a Planned Parenthood home talk a couple of months ago.
Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts’ Let’s Be Honest program is designed to help parents create an environment of trust and comfort in talking with their children about sex and sexuality. Although the program is especially suited to parents of children aged 10-14 years old, the facilitators were open to discussion of how to talk to kids of all ages about sex, and they provided useful handouts (e.g., how to respond to the “where do babies come from” question) applicable to kids aged 2 and up.
Click here to learn about how to host or attend a “Let’s Be Honest” workshop. If you’re not in Massachusetts, the national Planned Parenthood website offers educational resources for parents, including age by age guides for how to talk to children about sex, human sexuality, and AIDS.
Yesterday, desperately in need of relaxation and rejuvenation following wrap of a series of crazy deadlines, I headed to Urban Oasis. Urban Oasis offers private and community hot tub sessions and massages set within peaceful, elegantly appointed rooms. (Sessions are suit on; the community tub schedule largely is co-ed, but there is some single sex availability.) Towels and plush robes are provided, and change rooms and showers are stocked with quality body products. During my visit I was the only person in the community tub and enjoyed a half hour soak ($10 on its own; $8 when booked along with a massage) prior to my massage with Beth, who was marvelous at untying the knots in my back.
These fabulous hot tub soaks give new meaning to tubby time, and would make for a fun outing with friends or family (my mom will go crazy over this place...). Student and senior discounts are available.
Urban Oasis, 243 Hampshire Street, Cambridge; Tel: 617-491-0716
UPDATE 4/5/08: Urban Oasis has changed its name to Inman Oasis.