The 2nd annual International Babywearing Conference is coming up! It will be held June 25-28, 2008 at DePaul University in Chicago, IL, USA. The Babywearing Conference includes not just terrific shopping opportunities for all types of baby carriers, but also workshops on how to use different carriers, holds, and workshops on the business of making and or selling carriers. There will be a keynote speech by Jeni Norton, the founder of the largest babywearing online community, thebabywearer.com. Organizers have also put together a fashion show and a panel discussion on the history of baby wearing. There is a raffle scheduled for interested participants. Check out the conference website and their long list of exhibitors for more information: http://www.babywearingconference.com.

While many moms decide to forgo jewelry rather than let Junior pull on it, dentist Dr. Helen Bloom decided to solve that problem, while also giving baby a healthy choice for teething on.

Her unique selection of silicone jewelry includes bangle bracelets, pendants and backpack charms.

Check this website to see more of the chewable jewelry.

When you’re on a restricted diet, you’ve got built in limits. For those of us who are gluten-free, alternative flours are an expensive fact of life.

I’ve tried both store bought and homemade flour mixes. I like quinoa flour, brown rice flour, and almond meal for various purposes.

But there’s another flour I really like for baking that you might not find at your local health food store: coconut flour. (more…)

If you are looking for something different, here’s a quick and easy way to cook sweet potatoes that’s not the same old mashed, or Thanksgiving sweet. (more…)

Want to sew your own sling type baby carrier, but don’t know where to start? Concerned that your home sewn sling will meet safety standards? (more…)

A friend with young twins recently asked me about how to use a sling style baby carrier. She said with two babies, she just didn’t have enough hands.

I told her you can actually carry two babies at the same time, using two slings, but she said, “I’ll start with one, thanks!”

Talking with her about my favorite sling, and how to use it, I was reminded of how much I like sharing with other moms about the benefits sling use has brought to our family.

So maybe you’ve heard of this term, baby wearing? Or maybe you just want some help wading through the explosion of baby carrying products that are out there now. Well, I’m here to help. (more…)

Write, Mama, Write has a great little post up about making nature prints with the kids and the pictures will make you want to try them. If you haven’t used polymer clay (such as Sculpey) and would prefer to work with something that you don’t have bake, an alternative material to try is Makins Clay. They have an air dry polymer clay, it’s easy to find at your local craft store. Look for the bright green wrapper. (more…)

I remember hearing with shock that as a kid, my mom had to wrap her sandwiches in, get this — waxed paper! Not only did they not have Ziplocks, they didn’t even have Baggies!

In my search for a better solution to plastic I ran across a really cool craft idea that solves the problem of wasting money on bags that you only use once and helps out the environment too. (more…)

This dessert is easy to put together and only takes about a half-hour. It is gluten-free, corn and soy-free, and can be dairy-free if you simply substitute the butter for spectrum palm oil. (more…)

Crayons aren’t so easy to carry around, right? They break easily, can spill out of a bag and mark up your things, and worst of all, they have a tendency to melt all over your purse if you leave them closed up in car during the hot summer months. A thin tin box with a handy snap tight closure is the perfect container for carrying crayons for those ‘whenever’ times in life.

This simple solution makes it easy to have some crayons in your diaper bag or purse, ready at a moment’s notice for use in waiting rooms, or wherever you find yourself stuck with a hard to entertain toddler, all while preventing breakage or ruining your purse. (more…)