Baby Friendly L.A.

Mommy Mixer/Tweet Up

Mix it up with other L.A. moms

Mark your calendar for a night of fun with the author of Mommy Confidence, Kimberley Clayton Blaine. Enjoy wine, cheese and cupcakes while mingling with other wonderful L.A. moms.  Here are the details:

When?
Saturday, April 18th
5:00 pm

Where?
Book Soup
8818 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069

www.mommyconfidence.com

The BFLA Shop

I'm excited to introduce the new BabyFriendlyLA Shop! Ava and I have compiled an online store powered by Amazon, including some of our favorite products.  We've made shopping easy by gathering some of the best products out there for moms and babies and putting them all in one place so you don't have to hunt them down. Nearly every item is a personal recommendation and many have been reviewed right here on BFLA. Here are a few of the selections you'll find:

• Ava's Favorites: Ava's section has her favorite toys, books, games, and many other fun things that she has loved since she was an infant. 
• Must Haves: I've compiled a "must have" section for items that I just couldn't live without or that made life with a newborn a little bit easier. From baby monitors to booster chairs, this is my essential mommy list.
• Baby Gear: This section contains products such as strollers, car seats, high chairs... Baby gear that we've used, abused and can't say enough good things about. 
• Yummy Diaper Bags: The name says it all. I've gathered a group of stylish, functional and fun bags to fit any budget.
• Mommy Style: My favorite section! This area is all about killer shoes and sweet handbags for stylish moms on the go.

More to come! I plan to update this shop with more books, gadgets and recommendations from mommies, teachers and baby experts.  You can easily visit the shop any time by clicking the circular SHOP icon on the right side of the website. Enjoy!

And the Winner Is...

The winner of the Professor Pocket sing and learn Spanish CD is...

Tiffany U! 
Congratulations!! An email has been sent to you to claim your prize!

And thank you to everyone who participated and to Professor Pocket for hosting this cool contest! More fun give-aways are coming soon so be sure you're on the BFLA mailing list!  Have a great weekend!

Adios,
Ro

www.professorpocket.com

CONTEST: Professor Pocket CD!

Enter to win the latest Professor Pocket Singing Spanish CD

Learning a second language is made fun with the Professor Pocket series created by two innovative moms who live in bilingual homes. 

Our Hawaiian Hula Adventure has been selected as a top ten Dr. Toy Pick for 2008 in the Audio-Video Products, as well as one of the Top 100 Children's Products for 2008 and now you have a chance to win your very own!

To Enter:
All you have to do is leave a comment on this post about anything you like. To double your chances of winning, sign up for the BFLA Mailing List and leave a second comment telling me you have registered. If you have already signed up, leave me a second comment saying so.

The winner will be announced on Friday, September 26th here at Baby Friendly L.A. and via email.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be selected.  GOOD LUCK!!

www.professorpocket.com
retail price: $15.95

Kindermusik

Music classes for budding Beethovens

Ava and I have been taking Kindermusik classes with our mommy friends for the last eight months or so. Each week we gather around to sing songs and do little dances with our babies. If someone walked in on the class not knowing what it was all about, I'm sure they would probably think, "What are these crazy ladies doing in there?" But if you know what's up, then you know that singing and dancing with your kiddo is helpful in so many ways… like learning lessons, self discovery and not to mention that it's just plain good for the soul.

We have been lucky enough to enjoy Sarah Orfe as our instructor. Sarah's upbeat personality and cheerful demeanor leads the class in a fun and engaging way. The babies love her pleasant voice and the moms relate to her as a fellow mother of two young boys. Her classes are entertaining for both mommies and babies – even if we have to square dance once in a while.

The Kindermusik classes are structured around on the age of the child. Village classes are for newborns to 18 months. The routines involve creative play, stimulating exercises and experimentation with objects and instruments. Colorful scarves, egg shakers, and bells are just some of the favorite objects the kids play with during class. The songs are sweet, sometimes recognizable and often influenced by different regions of the world. Take-home materials accompany each course and includes a CD to sing along with, a book to read and a special toy to play with.  (Most children's CDs make me want to pull my hair out, however I honestly enjoy the Kindermusik compilations.)

Other classes offered through the Kindermusik program:

• Our Kind of Day - From newborn to age 4, children are encouraged to experience the class at their own pace and learn from each other
• Sign and Sing – a class that teaches simple sign language through song and motion
• Imagine That! – for children ages 3-5
• Kindermusik for the Young Child – for children 5-7 years of age

We have thoroughly enjoyed our Kindermusik classes and look forward to continuing with the series as Ava grows and develops. It's a wonderful way to playfully bond with your little one and exercise your baby's senses through music and dance. We love our weekly classes and we love our instructor, Sarah. And you never know, with all of this musical expression happening we just might be growing the next budding Beethoven or mini Mozart…

Kindermusik is a national program:
www.kindermusik.com

For more information on Kindermusik with Sarah Orfe visit her site:
http://kindermusikwithsarahandfriends.kindermusik.net OR
www.kindermusikwithsarah.com

CONTEST: Win a Prima Princessa DVD!

Calling all Princesses…

I'm really excited to share with you BabyFriendlyLA's premiere contest!

Here is your chance to win a copy of Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake – an entertaining DVD for budding ballerinas. Visit here for my complete review.

Here are the rules…

If you were a Princess, what would your Princess name be?

Leave a comment below with your Princess name - or the name of your little Princess (or Prince!) as well.  Be creative! For example, my Princess name would be:

Princess Ro from the Land of Grace. Her slippers are made of the bluest suede. 

 Get it? Here's another example. Ava's Princess name would be:

Princess Ava of the Sesame Shire. Her faithful subjects are Sir Elmo and Sir Ernie.
(Or if I had writer's block a simple Princess Ava would work too.) ;)

The contest will run until Friday night, August 22, when I will have my husband – along with Ava's help of course – select a number from all of the comment entries.  Whoever left the lucky corresponding comment number will win the DVD. (For example, if there were 60 comments, he would choose a number between 1 and 60 and the comment that falls on the selected number is the winner) You may enter as many different comments as you like (enter for you, your kids, your mom... anyone who is Princess worthy), but you must create a different Princess name with each comment. 

Prima Princessa is a wonderful addition to any DVD collection.  So have fun, be creative and GOOD LUCK!

Prima Princessa

A DVD for budding ballerinas

I think I have a future ballerina on my hands. Even though she's only doing the wobbly, drunk-baby walk right now, her little eyes light up whenever she sees ballet or dancing. We were asked to review the new video, Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake, and it's official: Ava needs a tutu.

Prima Princessa was created by two, ambitious stay-at-home moms who wanted to produce something unique for young girls interested in ballet and the art of dance. Mary Kate Mellow and Stephanie Troeller had no prior movie making experience. These New Jersey moms were inspired by their daughters' love of dance and lack of ballet videos for their young age group. So with a lot of creativity, a lot of patience and a whole lot of love, Prima Princessa – a colorful, animated fairy ballerina who narrates through classical productions - was born. I'm always so inspired by moms following their dreams. To read Mary Kate and Stephanie's story, click here. 

Prima Princessa is a fun way for young girls (and moms too!) to not only experience the beauty and grace of ballet, but to actually learn about the story as well. The Paris Opera Ballet performs the enchanting tale of Swan Lake while our storyteller informs us to what each act is about. I will admit… It's been a very long time since I've seen Swan Lake and I found the narration of this fairy-tale thoroughly engaging. Ava loved watching the twirling and dancing while I was enjoying the complete ensemble.

In between each of the four acts is an intermission. Ava really perked up when the little darlings, girls about 3-4 years of age, came out in their tutus and pranced around a luscious, green yard. I could tell she wanted to join them. Prima Princessa then explained various ballet moves while students from the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center demonstrated the different dance positions. At one point they were performing jetes – or jumps, and repeatedly said the word "jump" several times. What do I hear from the little voice sitting next to me? That's right... "jump." Ava learned a new word and kept saying it over and over each time they leaped across the screen. Then of course mommy had to make a fool of herself and start jumping in the living room… but enough about that.

Prima Princessa combines the magical storytelling of ballet, the how-to instructions for learning and colorful animation to create an engaging way for budding ballerinas to discover their inner princess.  I see this video growing with us as Ava's blossoming interest in all things pink and girly continues to flourish. Look out tutus… here we come!

Websites:
www.primaprincessa.com
Their blog: www.tutuzone.com

Available in stores nationwide and on Amazon.com (retails for $19.99)

Alphabooks

A fun way to learn your ABCs

Ava is pretty good at identifying her toys. She loves her oversized Minnie Mouse and says, "Mini-ini-ini" each morning before she crawls (and now sometimes walks!) over to give her a kiss. She knows her Milo the Monkey chair, her Ernie and her Elmos, her puppies, piggies and bears. And her favorite is this weird sheep pillow that snores (yes, snores like a man) that my brother gave her. We call him Sheepy. I thought, "If she can identify these toys, why can't she start learning her alphabet?"

First I tried flash cards. I love the idea of having only one letter per card. Unfortunately they didn't stand much of a chance. The cards were more fun to bend and crinkle before she shoved them in her mouth. Next up - books.  Ava LOVES books and would have me read to her all day long if I could, so I picked up a few that went through the ABCs with pictures. But having several  letters of the alphabet on each page was too busy and just ended up being distracting for her. So my quest continued…

And then I found Baby Einstein Alphabooks (Baby Einstein). They are wonderful! There are 26 books - one book for each letter of the alphabet. They are small in size, made of hard cardboard and only six pages long. Each page has one word that begins with the corresponding letter along with various pictures. Some pictures are realistic, some are cartoon images and some are museum style paintings. The letters are displayed boldly on both the front and the back covers in upper and lower case, so either way the book lands the letter is seen.

I love these books. And so does Ava. She enjoys turning the pages and looking at the pictures. I only take out a few at a time for her to play with and because it's just one letter per book, it's not overwhelming and she can learn them at her own pace. She can already identify the letters M, O, B and Z and make the corresponding sounds when I ask her to pick them up. The books are easy to throw in the diaper bag and are far more durable than flash cards. They come in a neat storage box which is also fun to play with. Ava likes to take each book out and then tries to put them all back.

The age requirement says the books are for 18 months and up, but it's never to early to start reading and learning your ABCs. Thanks, Baby Einstein for making it so fun and easy!

Baby Einstein Alphabooks (Baby Einstein)

Cool Mom

Of course she's an L.A. mom

I stumbled upon this really enjoyable video blog site a few weeks ago, CoolMom.com, and have since become a regular viewer. I tend to wither into boredom rather quickly with online video anything these days. Most video bloggers feel they need to ramble on and on and take forever to get to the punch line - if there is one. And quite frankly, unless it's your family, no one really cares that much (and they are probably just humoring you). But that's not the case with Daphne Brogdon. She's witty and to the point. Her amusing videos are cute and clever and she makes her statement in about a minute. CoolMom.com is a  bright spot on the over crowded mommy side of the world wide web.

And of course she's an L.A. mom (Daphne is originally from Culver City). Only a mom from L.A. would have professional camera men tape her v-blog segments (at least that's what it looks like). Only a mom from Los Angeles would have a blog with a Privacy Policy and Terms of Use statement the size of the phone book. And only a mom from Los Angeles would also be a stand up comic and TV host. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets her hair and make-up done for her blog shoots. You really do have to love L.A.

But CoolMom is more than the typical L.A. label. Daphne speaks candidly about funny moments with her adorable toddler, Vivien. She talks about stuff that we've all had happen to us as moms; stuff that we've thought about but wouldn't dare say; stuff that makes parenting humorous. Nothing is sacred… She talks about the nanosecond rule, the real scoop on mommy gossip, the "mom/hooker bath," and accidentally hurting your kid. She even talks openly about getting Botox. Who in L.A. does that?  Her sense of timing and humor is professional, yet she still comes across as an everyday mom who is approachable and friendly. She's seemingly very down-to-earth – like a gal pal you could yap with over coffee. And while her blog is mostly comedic, the love she has for her daughter and the occasional interviews she has with her mother make her videos sweet and tender as well.

The bottom line, CoolMom is funny! Daphne's video blog is enjoyable and entertaining. And sort of addicting.  So if you have a few moments and need a little pick-me-up, head over to CoolMom.com for a chuckle.

Boohbah = Baby Trip?

It's the Teletubbies on acid

Have you seen the show, Boohbah? It's like an acid trip for preschoolers.  If Jabba the Hut and the Ewoks procreated while eating Skittles, you'd have the Boohbahs. These strange, vibrant egg-like creatures with big, Kewpie doll eyes are a kaleidoscope of swirling colors and strange sounds.  Combine all of this with calming, airy-fairy music and giggling children's voices and what do you have? From everything I have heard about acid trips, this is what I imagine it would be like. Somebody was smoking something when they came up with this. And if Ava catches a glimpse of the Boohbahs, she instantly turns into stoner baby.

I can just envision the creative pitch for this series, "Hi, we have this show we'd like to make. It's about these weird, alienish blobs with big eyes twirling in circles to hypnotic music. It's like a rave, but for babies! The kids are gonna love it!" I'm not too far off... The creators – the same guys who did the Teletubbies - describe them as, "Five sparkling atoms of mischievous energy and fun." Here is an excerpt from the Boohbah website:

"The Boohbahs represent the imaginative power and light which allows children to control the screen action by the use of the magic word “Boohbah”, and send presents into an imaginary Storyworld for the Storypeople - Grandmamma, Grandpappa, Mrs Lady, Mr Man, Brother and Sister, Auntie and Little Dog Fido to play with and make a story in partnership with them. We hear the children intervening in the screen action by the sound of their blowing and their use of the word “Boohbah”. This motivates the action and moves the story along. Only Little Dog Fido is not wholly in their control! Children are totally engaged and have a lot of fun guessing which Storyperson will appear and what will happen next."

 HUH???

You have to check them out just for curiosity's sake. They are strangely fascinating in a "whoaaa dude" sort of way. Peace out… ;)