Parenting Examiner

Baby Loves Disco

If you haven't been to Baby Loves Disco, you should. There is a branch of BLD in most major markets. Once a month on a weekend afternoon, the designated night club opens its doors to parents and children. A D.J. spins tunes and you can dance to your heart's content with your child or children. The cost is $12 for all walking humans.  Non-walking humans get in free.

The first time I attended BLD, Meilee was about six months old. I strapped her into the Ergo and danced until my feet were sore. It was the most fun I had had in a while. The atmosphere was great, because no one was trying to impress  someone  else.  There's a  chill-out area for moms who need to nurse or people who need to take a break. The bar area is open for those -- i.e. dads -- who need a beer. Check out the site to buy tickets to the next BLD in your city.

Here is my husband dancing with Meilee at our first BLD last year, which took place at Club Heaven. (I've provided the link to Club Heaven so you can see it is indeed a real dance club and not some event space that's magically transformed into a family-friendly discotheque. That degree of authenticity prevents the event from being too Gymboree -- not that there's anything wrong with Gymboree.)


Topics: Family Life

Not Just For Kids Anymore...

The fascination with bubble tea has eluded me. To me, it's an overly sweet, artificially flavored concoction that somehow has captured the appreciation of young people around the world. Leave it to a New York chef to turn the drink on its rim:From... Read More
Topics: Trends , Mommy's Little Helper

Cheesy Recipe

I was at the Seattle Cheese Festival today. I thought I'd share one of the recipes that a local chef demonstrated:SEATTLE CHEESE FESTIVAL 2008FIVE-CHEESE MACARONIServes 41 pound fusilli bucati, cooked for half of recommended time 1 pound unsalted butter1... Read More
Topics: recipes , Seattle Cheese Festival

How to Pack an 'In Case of Disaster' Kit

The scenes from the Sichuan Province's earthquake aftermath have been devastating. Looking at the photo galleries on various news sites makes me cry. All those precious lives, especially the children...Are you prepared? Whether you live in an earthquake,... Read More
Topics: Tips , Links , Life and Death , The List , Safety , Emergency Preparedness

Get Your Antioxidants

This is excerpted from About.com:Foods are considered to be the preferred way of boosting antioxidant levels because they're thought to contain a wide array of antioxidant substances. Many of the them are also high in vitamins, minerals and fiber.... Read More
Topics: Tips , Food , The List , Nutrition

Do Infants See Colors?

Read all about the relationship between language and color perception in this Scientific American piece."How do we perceive a rainbow? And does everyone perceive a rainbow in the same way? These seemingly simple questions can reveal some interesting... Read More
Topics: Language , Studies

7 Surprising Developmental Milestones in Children

Here's the lastest from BabyCenter.com:We all know when kids should sit up, walk, talk, and get a driver's license. But what about some of those other important "firsts" that don't get as much press? Here are seven milestones that we think... Read More
Topics: Links , The List

10 Easy Dinners With Asparagus, Duck, or Tortillas

Need some quick ideas for putting dinner on the table? Here are several "10 Ways With..." lists:AsparagusRoasted  duck from a Chinese barbecue shopTortillasThe tortillas piece was especially popular among readers. The egg cups are fabulous.... Read More
Topics: recipes

Girls' Sports Injuries

This piece is the Sunday New York Times reports on the higher rate of injuries among girls in sports: Read story.Excerpt: Girls and boys diverge in their physical abilities as they enter puberty and move through adolescence. Higher levels of testosterone... Read More
Topics: Activities , Links , NYT , Sports

Salary for Mom: $116,805

Salary.com announced the result of its latest Mom Salary Survey. For 2008, Salary.com determined that the time mothers spend performing the 10 most popular "Mom job functions" would equate to an annual cash compensation of $116,805 for a Stay-at-Home... Read More
Topics: Links , Supermoms , Surveys