Group items tagged

Newborn's skin is so sensitive. Rashes are common during baby's first year. Here are products to keep your baby's skin smooth and healthy.

Over a hundred years ago, there were no TV sets, stereos, or video games, but there were always people around ready to play games. Families were often large - parents & several children, as well as an aunt, uncle, or a grandparent or two, all living under one roof, so there were always people around who might be talked into playing a game. Children also played games at school, in town, and at work parties.\n

More and more research unveils the importance of parenting skills in a baby's first year of life. As the old saying goes, experience is the best teacher and many new parents would certainly agree. The same adage may apply to infants as well, as a new study found 10 month old babies were already able to apply lessons learned.

Getting a good night's sleep with a newborn baby in the house, as many parents know, is not going to happen anytime soon. Despite the odd waking hours of babies, the first 6 months of life are critical to helping a baby set their circadian rhythms (regular sleeping and rising patterns) that will stay with them for years to come. Some babies, however, may have some hurdles to overcome as a new study explains babies' with depressed mothers experience disruptive sleep.

Certain fish can provide an excellent source of the essential fatty omega 3, a nutrient that is vital for healthy infant brain development. Years ago, expecting women were encouraged to consume fish to increase omega 3 intake, but that recommendation had tapered off due to the high amounts of mercury in fish from our polluted waters. A new study found that moderate consumption is most beneficial for both mother and baby.

Tomorrow is National Teacher Day, and is part of a week-long celebration honoring our teachers. It is our children's opportunity to thank the special teachers in their lives for their hard work and dedication throughout the school year. Few professionals impact our lives as teachers do...each of us has undoubtedly had at least one teacher who profoundly affected and inspired us as children (and adults). Though we believe that teachers should be recognized every day, National Teacher Day is indeed an ideal time to join together with other communities and acknowledge how much we value and respect their contributions to our children's future.

Gift of the month clubs are always a successful, albeit expensive choice for a loved one. For the mother who seems to have everything (like ours), it's a unique and thoughtful gift that keeps giving. The Daily Kool has given several monthly club memberships as gifts over the years. Our favorites so far are Harry and David's Fruit-of-the-Month Club and Wolferman's Muffin Club. The quality and customer service of both companies has always been outstanding. Our only complaint is the lack of variety available. Oh, don't get us wrong...there are different delectable monthly features from each company. It's just that the choice is always going to be fruit from Harry and David and muffins from Wolferman's. What if we want both? Or something else added?

Have you ever noticed how it's the simple things in life that give us the most pleasure? A child's laughter...a morning sunrise...the Oxo Good Grips Flexible Vegetable Brush. Okay, call us crazy (and trust us, many many people have), but we at The Daily Kool absolutely love it when a kitchen gadget gets the job done right. Those of us who own anything by Oxo know that their products usually do. Yep, we admit it...we are big Oxo fans, and have been since we got our first kitchen gadget about ten years ago (yikes, has it been that long?).

Sunday, our two boys decided to surprise us with a delicious breakfast in bed...a bowl of cereal is the extent of their culinary talents. As we were listening to them bustle about downstairs (yes, we know everything that goes on in our house), we had a debate as to who would spill milk all over the floor...yep, it was the seven year old! Poor things...they were so upset! Independence is always so important to little ones, but let's face it...those gallon jugs of milk are heavy! After we dried the kids tears and cleaned up the mess, we all sat down together for a family discussion...the thought was wonderful, but maybe next time they should surprise just one of us and recruit the other to help. Milk containers are just not designed with kids in mind.

Our four year old loves to play chess. Yes, you heard us right...four. Is he some kind of prodigy? Nope. Don't get us wrong...our son is definitely very bright, and we claim our bragging rights as often as we can (doesn't every parent?). But, we don't think that Mensa is quite ready to extend an invitation to him yet. We do, however, give the folks at Winning Moves complete credit for our son's love of the classic strategic game with their wonderful edition of No Stress Chess.

We been having an ongoing challenge these days in The Daily Kool household. Our boys are at the age when we have to constantly remind them to wash their hands. It's not as if we are obsessive about cleanliness (well, maybe just a little). We do have rules, though. Washing hands after coming in from the outside, after meals and certainly after using the toilet shouldn't be too much to ask, right? Apparently, it just might be...at least for our boys. You should just hear some of the arguments and excuses coming out of our two little guys...everything from "My leg hurts and I can't stand by the sink" to "My hands aren't that sticky from the breakfast syrup." Our favorite of course, is the ever-popular "Hey, we stand up anyway...what's the big deal?" Imagine our embarrassment when our four year old proudly confessed to his grandmother how often he and his brother try to "trick us" into thinking that they've washed their hands (as if we didn't know). Seriously, they expend more energy trying to avoid washing their hands than it would just take to do it already. Sheesh!

Our wedding ten years ago (yikes!) was a beautiful Victorian affair with rich fabrics, bold colors and flowers in every corner. We even found these beautiful jewel-toned potpourri pillows at a local flea market. Each pillow was an actual picture frame, and we decided to use them for place card holders/party favors. Thank goodness they were all individually wrapped or the scents would have been overwhelming! Anyway, we spent the last night before our wedding carefully cutting open each pouch, putting the place card in the holder and resealing the plastic wrap. It was a long and tedious process, but the results were truly magnificent.

Back in our college days, we spent a lot of time in laundromats. Like most other students, we did not have the luxury of our own washer and dryer. Yep, five years schlepping laundry baskets full of clothing and detergents down to the local Gatorland Laundromat (go Gators!). Not a bad way to meet potential dates, but sheesh...what a humbling experience for us spoiled folks who were used to Mommy doing the dreaded deed. Who knew there were many different bottles to buy for one measly load of laundry? Detergent, fabric softener, bleach, pre-treaters...the list goes on and on.

We know what you're thinking...why on earth would The Daily Kool be discussing a Christmas tree trim set in July? Well, ever loyal to our readers, we simply wanted to give everyone a heads-up to QVC's full weekend of everything you need for gift-giving and decorating. Hey, the big day is only five months away, and quite frankly...most of us are pretty broke in today's economy. We're all for preparing earlier this year and, of course, taking advantage of as many deals as we can get before the holiday season actually begins.

The Daily Kool had a great Fourth of July holiday this past weekend. We went to our parents, had an amazing barbecue lunch (courtesy of Dad and Weber's Way to Grill), enjoyed Mom's famous pasta salad and spent the early afternoon playing games with the kids. Ah, family togetherness...you gotta love it. Okay, who are we kidding? Fourth of July is all about the fireworks. Our city park has a spectacular concert and fireworks event every year, and the kids spend all afternoon, anxiously waiting for it to be time to go to the show. Unfortunately, the sun is still brutally strong when the show begins, and by the time it gets dark, the evening rains inevitably come out to put a damper (couldn't resist the pun) on our fireworks fun. Sure, we have a beach umbrella that we use to ward off the elements, but it's cumbersome and doesn't provide nearly enough coverage for our family of four.

The Daily Kool's beloved pooch Pepper, has just turned 9 years old...wow, time is definitely flying by quickly. Though he still acts like a puppy much of the time, we have noticed that things are slowing down just a little bit for him. The vet has told us his hips are beginning to weaken, as is often common for a standard poodle of his age. Plus, we've seen the extra hesitation when he jumps in the car, on the couch, and especially on the bed...yep, it's definitely time to get Pepper a pet ramp.

Over the past year, people have been keeping a close eye on the stock market more than ever. Our parents at The Daily Kool are no exception. Our father, in particular, is almost obsessed with keeping track of how the DOW, NASDAQ and S&P500 are doing at any given time. Unfortunately, as a result, he spends too of his day feeling tied to his computer and internet connection...much to our mother's annoyance.

Every year, the summer is filled with picnics, barbecues and other casual gatherings for The Daily Kool family. Most of these get-togethers are pot-luck events where everyone brings a dish for the guests to share. Needless to say, tables are always filled with a ton deviled eggs, fruit platters, sandwiches and cupcakes galore. So much for shedding those last few (okay, or forty) pounds...sigh. Since most of us tend to bring homemade items as opposed to pre-made trays, we are always looking for convenient travel caddies to hold our food.

Golf is one of those sports that has earned much respect in The Daily Kool household over the years. There is just something about the mental and physical challenge, combined with getting out in the fresh air on a beautiful grassy course, that is both relaxing and stimulating. We admit it, though...our original motives for playing golf were not entirely pure. Yep, we used golf as a front to establish potential (and often profitable) business connections...we're so ashamed! There was only one problem...we didn't account for how hard it is to stick to the green. Oh, that darn Tiger Woods...he makes it look so easy!

This Memorial Day weekend, our kids are having a couple of their close friends at the house for a sleepover for the first time. They've been planning it for a week. They've picked out games, snacks, movies, crafts...they are so excited! We do have a bit of a challenge, though...our entire downstairs has hardwood floors. Even though we have a regular sleeping bag in the house (our beloved Puff the Magic Dragon one from about thirty years ago), unfortunately, it is pretty much out of the question for this weekend. There isn't enough room in our kids' two twin-size beds for the four boys to share either. How can we have a successful sleepover when we have no comfortable place for the kids to sleep?