Mother’s Day

Make sure to celebrate the wonderful gift of moms this Mother’s Day, Sunday May 11th by taking a little time to ask yourself “what would mom like?”

Need a special & unique Mother’s Day idea?

Obviously, as a mom I believe all mothers should be spoiled on this special day (and other days too)!!! So here are a variety of ideas to help the whole family do just that!

By far the best idea is something that my family gave me last year – a subscription to Blockbuster.com . This allows mom to receive her movies in the mail, take her time watching them (there are no late fees) and then mail the movie back when she is done or mom can exchange a movie for free at her local Blockbuster. store for free. Now that is a deal.

Other “Mom’s Favorite” Mother’s Day Gifts include personalized gifts, flowers, books, magazine subscriptions, watches, and much more:

So how else can you spoil mom?

Yes breakfast in bed, brunch, and flowers definetely works.

But also take a little time to think about what else could make mom feel special. What might that be?

Personalized photo albums, mugs, and clothing from Shutterfly are very thoughtful and meaningful items.

A vase that you promise to keep filling through the year is also a nice gift.

Give mom the chance to indulge in some must needed rest, by giving her a certificate to her favorite spa, restaurant, hair salon, or store.

Ask yourself, what does mom like to read? Where does she like to go? What makes mom happy? Then find a way to make these things happen.

Give mom a coupon book of promises to help around the house, do errands, be the waiter at a “girls night” in.

Have mom do a “treasure” hunt of clues for her gift or hide little things around the house to find.

Whatever you decide to do, a little thought goes a long way!

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Family Dining

On the weekends, when places are busy we like to order in so that it feels like a special occasion, but without fighting the crowds. What makes this easier is that so many restaurants now have both pick up and delivery. We love to support local family restaurants and we find they are very accommodating to our peculiar family requests (“can we get some extra tomato sauce for our baby”?).

However, if you are looking for a family restraurant, mom’s favorite has some suggestions for you.

Looking for kid friendly restaurants?

Going out with the family is nice in theory, but in practice many moms know “it can all end in tears.”

Our family has found some kid friendly restaurants that help make the whole dining experience just a bit more enjoyable.

Remember that just because the restaurant doesn’t have cartoon characters and crayons does not mean that is is not family friendly. We recently went to a “4 star” steak house with our family, and although we were hesitant to walk in, we were shocked to see so many other kids and families there. The staff was attentive, flexible, and incredibly helpful. If you intend to bring the whole family to a formal restaurant just call ahead to make sure this is okay. After this experience we discovered that the whole family are budding “gourmets.”

What about kid friendly healthy restaurants?

Moms worry about the health of their kids, and when eating out it can be hard to find food on the kids menu that are not chicken fingers, macaroni, fries, and grilled cheese. How can you get around this? Many times, we don’t order from the kids menu, but instead we split a few healthy adult meals between us.

Some restaurants do have healthy kids menus. They include:

The Olive Garden. Just be sure the get the pastas, salads, and grilled items. As the fried food can have up to 1,500 a serving.

Uno Chicago Grill. But again, choose wisely! Forgo the deep dish pizza (2,000+ calories) for the thin crust pizza (755 calories). And choose the shrimp, and 7. oz. Filet Mignon instead of stuffed potato skins or flatbread pizza.

Romano’s Macroni Grill. Kids love the margerita pizza, which is 1/3 the calories of most other items on the menu.

One resource that has tremendously helped us is the book Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko.This book offers tons of guidlines on eating healthy when you go out!

Of course, when worse comes to worse and things end in tears, ask for the meal to be packed up and take it home! You might be shocked how many restaurants now provide take-away service (and with crying kids and mommies this can be the best bet for a successful dining experience!).

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Spring Cleaning

This mom is very concerned with using healthy cleaning products that won’t harm the whole family. There are now a large amount of “mainstream” products which are going “green.” It is so important that moms (and dads) use these products because they are biodegradable, lack harsh chemicals, and are environmentally friendly. 
Check out Method, Seventh Generation, and even Clorox Green Brands:

 

Celebrate Spring

Spring is here and that means Spring Break is here too! So how to entertain the entire family when days get long, the rains stop, and the sun shines? We love this slide – and you can use it inside or out!

We love the beach & this bucket set is great for kids if you are going to be heading to the beach or just to the sandbox!

Gap has reasonable and durable clothes for kids – and tons of shorts, hats, and sun glasses to choose from!

Car Seat Safety

Recently we had a local “family fair” in our area, one of mom’s favorites. The best part of these fairs is that they provide free car seat installation. Why do you need to have someone install your car seat? Well, because according to experts only 1 in 1,000 people do this correctly! So find your local “family fair” or seek out car seat installation classes (ours was held at a local fire department) to make sure that your precious cargo is safe and sound. Read more on Car Seat Safety from Britax here.

About Mom’s Favorite

Welcome to Mom’s Favorite!

What is this site?

A site for moms (and yes, dads too)! Specifically, this is a site to share the little tips, hints, and ideas of what works in negotiating the craziness of life, especially while working and raising kids. Mom’s Favorite main contributor is a full-time researcher by day and full-time mom by night and is picky all day long! That means anything Mom’s Favorite Seal of Approval has passed this mom’s (and many other mom’s) “picky” and “favorite’s” test.

Favorite what’s?

Favorites of everything! Our favorite money saving tips. Our favorite “mommy talk” moments. Our favorite articles “in the buzz.” Our favorite places to eat with kids, our favorite airlines, our favorite gift ideas, our favorite clothes shops, our favorite products and toys, and our favorite ideas of how to keep all the balls in the air at once (with inevitably dropping a few).

What counts as a favorite?

The ideas you find here are things that have been tried, tested, and trusted by my family and our friends. They are high quality, value for money, effective, efficient, safe, reliable, and make life easier.

Why choose our favorites?

Because what is provided here is a written record of the conversations we are all having in the grocery stores, over e-mail, on the phone, and in the mall. Yes sometimes these conversations are about things, products, and items, but sometimes these conversations are also about just how to manage, cope, and strike the balance in life:

“Is that a good stroller?”

“Where can I get the best value for money diapers?”

“What should I bring to the baby shower?”

“What wipes don’t cause diaper rash?”

“Which airline should we fly with?”

“Which airline shouldn’t we fly with?”

“How do I make sure that my childrens’ toys aren’t toxic?”

“When and how does mommy get a time out?”

“Should I buy organic products, and if so why?”

“If mommy ever gets time to read, what are some good books out there?”

“Did you hear about that news story – should I be concerned for my family?”

“How can I make a quick and healthy dinner for my family that doesn’t break the bank?”

What will you find here?

We are all busy these days, so instead of spending valuable time doing the research yourself let me do it for you! Most of what you will find here is pretty practical – when time and energy are in short supply and you need someone to help provide the answers or ideas for you; see if those answers are here and if not, let me see if I can find them for you.

Every page will have 2 or 3 solutions or ideas that have worked for us. That doesn’t mean there aren’t more, but these are what have worked for us. Once you have kids you realize too many options is not necessarily a good thing!

The content will keep coming and evolving (especially as our little one keeps getting older and we run into new roadblocks, dilemmas, and conundrums). I hope to keep you up to date with what we have found to work for our family, and of course those things change day to day! So, as this evolves, please stay with me and feel free to share your own ideas and “secret” successes.

Who am I?

A working mom, who is also a dedicated researcher. I have delved into books, scoured articles, and of course tried and tested all things “kids” and hope to pass that knowledge on to you!