Michelle Carchrae's Blog
Posted by Michelle Carchrae
Wondering what to do with your family over the next two weeks of holiday celebrations? Well, if you live in or near Vancouver, BC, I've got a few great suggestions for you.
Bright Nights, the Christmas train in Stanley Park, is a fun evening activity for families with children. The miniature train route has been decorated with millions of lights and lit displays, and there is a petting zoo and mini fair to walk through. If you decide to go, book your tickets ahead of time to minimize waiting times when you get there, and bundle everybody up with warm woolies. Waiting even a short time outside can feel very cold very quickly. But, if you're dressed for the weather and ready to meet your train, Bright Nights is a fun and festive activity for all ages.
If you're looking for a family activity for Christmas Day or New Year's Day, the Vancouver Aquarium is open 365 days a year and is accessable to family of all ages. It's a great place to go if it's feeling a little crowded inside the house after everyone's opened their presents. They are open from 10am to 4pm on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family and wish you the very best in the New Year!
Posted by Michelle Carchrae
I recently came across a parenting resource website called Enjoy Parenting. It's aimed at parents who embrace the ideas found in holistic, nonviolent and attachment parenting philosophies, and aren't afraid to parent with the idea that we are all capable of infinite love, joy and self-worth. Their daily email subscription service, the Daily Groove, offers a bite-sized snippet of parenting ideas related to finding your groove together as parent and child.
While some of the ideas might come across as being very new age or touchy-feely, lots of them really are grounded in truth. Most encourage you to question any parenting technique that doesn't respect the child as an independent human being. That sounds like a no-brainer, but when it comes to enforcing bedtime or safety-related discipline it can be a humbling experience to really evaluate how you're interacting with your child.
If you really click with the Daily Groove and the Enjoy Parenting website, author Scott Noelle also offers a paid subscription part of the website, with a forum where you can discuss parenting with other subscribers and get tips and feedback directly from Scott.
Posted by Michelle Carchrae
Even though I don't head out the door to work each morning, I still worry about what it will be like when I do decide to get back on the 'on-ramp' and re-enter the workforce in a serious way. I know lots of other women who work full time and raise their kids, keep their houses clean and even remember to send out birthday cards. Whether you work 5 hours a week or 50, sharing your expertise, trials and triumphs with other women who are juggling work and family helps to support working parents as a whole.
Mommy Track'd is a website that has essays about being a working mom, news, shopping resources, tips on how to maximize your time and fly through your to-do list efficiently, and a forum with a community of other working moms to commiserate with. Women today are contributing more to the workforce and striving for equality both at home and on the job, but all this doesn't come easily. Hearing about other women's experiences can reassure you when your own experience is challenging, and if you can shave 15 minutes off your weekly cleaning time by scrubbing the bathroom while the kids are in the tub, then your life just got a little easier thanks to the shared expertise of many other women working together and uploading their tips to Mommy Track'd.
Posted by Michelle Carchrae
As a kid I suffered several bad sunburns, complete with blisters and weeks spent peeling skin off my shoulders. Ouch, ugh and ick. Now that I have a child of my own, I'm extra careful to make sure that she is protected from the sun so that she won't have to experience sunburn the way I did. With the heat of summer now upon us, here's a few tips to help you and your young ones stay safe in the sun.
If possible, stay in the shade between 10am and 2pm. It's not always realistic to keep kids out of the sun during the middle of the day, but if you can it really does help minimize their risk of sunburn. This is the best way to protect infants, especially babies under the age of six months, who are too young for sunscreens.
Protect your skin while you are in the sun. Always remember your SPF 15+ sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. If you can't find any shade, a loose long sleeved top can give extra protection to your shoulders and arms.
SPF clothing is a great option for active kids who like to play in the water. Unlike sunscreen, the SPF protection in special swimsuits won't wash off, and lasts for as long as your child wants to play in the sun.
Sun protection doesn't have to be difficult, but it does take a little bit of advance planning to schedule your outings around sun-safe hours and remember to bring your sun protection gear with you. The rewards of sun safety are many, however, and avoiding sunburn and an increased risk of skin cancer are certainly worth it. Have fun in the sun and stay safe!
Posted by Michelle Carchrae
Quick! A friend is having a baby shower and you need a cool, thoughtful gift that doesn't have teddy bear print anywhere in the vincinity. If you need some help sourcing hip, trendy, eco-friendly and high quality products for babies and chidren, check out the blog Cool Mom Picks.
I especially liked their review of these huge dandelion decals to stick onto your child's bedroom wall (made by Badass Custom Decals), and the designer birth announcements from Inventing Matilda. Plus, their site is searchable, so if you know what you want you can find the coolest picks with just a quick clack-clack-clack of your keyboard. It's just the thing for busy working moms and anyone else who needs a little help in the shopping and organizing departments.
Trendy baby and kids' stuff won't make you a great parent, but it might just smooth out the preparations for a birthday party or two and free you up to do more important things, like blowing dandelion seeds into the wind with your toddler.
