MamasOnCallMamas love …

New! Most Popular Baby Names

Ellen and Rachel — Wed, 23 May 2012 01:52:39 +0000

In case you’re wondering which names top the list of favorites for 2011, we’ve got you covered. There may be one or two surprises. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to check out the favorites for the year you were born in, too. You can also find out which names are most popular for twins and which names show up most often in which state. Cool and interesting little tidbits to chew on in here!

Bad Mamas On Parade!

Ellen and Rachel — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:09:20 +0000

These mamas make everyone else look good by comparison … even if they are animals!

Funny Mother’s Day Jokes

Ellen and Rachel — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:11:08 +0000

Mothers: You gotta love ‘em! Here is a great collection of “You won’t believe what my Mom did” stories by stand-up comics.

It’s About Language …

Ellen and Rachel — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:03:27 +0000

This is one of the best we’ve read about how to enhance language development in your kiddo. It’s important stuff. It’s how you get your little one into Harvard (and it’s free), we promise!

Weirdest, Wackiest Prom Dresses EVER

Ellen and Rachel — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:47:01 +0000

If you’ve gone to prom (or know anyone who has or ever will), this photo blog from babble.com is a must-see! ‘Read my Dress’ is the very best, do you agree?

WHO KNEW? Easy Trick For Dust Mites!

Ellen and Rachel — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:59:10 +0000

If you have a child with asthma or allergies, keeping dust mites at bay is a good thing to do. Even if your little one is allergy-free, you still don’t need those nasties hanging around. What are they? Dust mites are microscopic creatures that live and breed in your bedding.

We’re not talking 10 or 20 here, they are present in the millions and cause allergies for many people, kids included. One of the most common places for them to accumulate is in your bedding. They feed off the millions of dead skin cells that we shed while we sleep. You probably didn’t realize that you were providing those little suckers with a 24/7 all-you-can-eat restaurant, did you?

So what can you do? You can encase your mattress in a special cover and that will help a lot. But there is a super-simple, absolutely free way to eliminate them from your pillow. Just stick it in the freezer for 12 hours and you can say goodbye to those bugs. Gotta love that!

Japanese food for the littles — no, it’s not sushi

Ellen and Rachel — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:20:20 +0000

Japanese dishes tend to be healthy and light — perfect for springtime! Check out this recipe for baby … Mamas love it.

TINIEST GOURMET – INTRODUCING UMAMI

Edamame and shitake mushrooms are two very common Japanese cooking. Edamame (pronounced ed-ah-MAH-may) are little green gems – packed with protein and loads of nutrients. Including Shitake mushrooms in this puree is a great way to introduce your baby to the distinctive taste of umami.

Shitake & Edamame Puree

4 oz Shitake mushrooms, stems removed
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
12 oz. (2 cups) Shelled edamame
¾ – 1 cup Water
1 tsp. Soy sauce, optional

Directions: Bring 6 cups of water to boil in a stock pot. Add edamame and cook for 4 minutes. Drain edamame in a colander and place them in a blender or food processor. In a small sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat, add mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce and ¾ cup of water to the edamame in the blender. Process until the mixture is a smooth puree. If needed, add additional water.

Spoon the puree into your So Easy Baby Food Trays, cover and freeze until ready to use. Serve as a vegetable dish for your baby’s meal with mashed brown rice, meats or fish.

Why Didn’t We Think of That?

Ellen and Rachel — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:51:56 +0000

What to use for baskets:

The cheap wicker Easter baskets they sell at the store
Other stores have more fun “baskets” like fabric animals and colorful pails
Colorful organizational totes at the dollar store (we get these the most – fun and functional for after Easter!)
Decorative bowls
Toy containers: baby doll bath tubs, strollers or cradles, Lego containers, etc. (holds the goodies and doubles as a toy)
Real baskets from a home or craft store
Instead of using Easter grass, use fabric, a new piece of clothing, a baby blanket, etc.

Easter Basket Ideas (other than candy):

Sidewalk Chalk (make your own without any toxic ingredients if you have the time)
Playdough
Gak (another homemade ooze recipe)
Bubbles
Crayons (melt old or new crayons down and more into molds for personalized crayons)
Color books (or print coloring pages from online)
Babydoll or stuffed animal sleeping bags (See how HERE – Sleeping bags are good for boys or girls, just alter the color combinations!)
Spongeballs (great water toy or baby toy. Cheap and easy!)
Chipmunk or other animals from a glove
Teddy bears or a socktopuss from colorful socks
Letters, shapes, or number sponges for bath time
Felt Food for play kitchens (Lots of stuff out there!)
Dinosaur tails for imagination play
Superhero capes (I can personally attest that super hero capes are for boys AND girls!)
Eggs full or small toys (think plastic dinosaurs, army men, Legos, etc)
Eggs full of colorful goldfish or cheerios (love this idea for my Godchild)
Stickers or stamps (My basket always had a ton of Lisa Frank stickers! Here’s a link on how to make your own stickers)
Pencils and stationary (there is so many free printables out there, you could probably print your own out as well)
Art supplies (one of my favorites as a kid)
Kites (we always got one of these in our basket!)
Balls or other sports equipment
Make your own airplane kits (you can buy these for a dollar or two at craft stores usually)
Sippy cups or drink cups (I bought a bunny cup with a straw for my Godchild)
Puzzles and other games
Flash cards or playing cards
Hair or jewelry accessories
Dress-up items
New clothes or shoes
Movies or music (Veggie Tales Jonah DVD is $5 at Target, along with some other kids movies)
Books and comics
Sand toys
Bath toys
Kids gardening supplies
Bug catching supplies
Craft kits

Thank you, Pinterest!

14-year-old chutzpah! This teen’s goin’ places.

Ellen and Rachel — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:00:52 +0000

How many 14-year-olds own their own home? Move over, Mark Zuckerberg, this girl’s got it going on. Selling the stuff left in foreclosed houses on Craig’s list earned her enough money to start a real estate empire. We can’t wait to check in with her in 10 years and see what’s developed.

Read her story here and think about sharing it with your own young ones. Entrepreneurism isn’t for everyone, but the greater lesson is seeing that the sky’s the limit.

Willow, you go girl!

Cheesy Quinoa … mmm!

Ellen and Rachel — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:00:55 +0000

Who doesn’t love mac ‘n cheese? It’s the comfort food of the gods for sure. Here’s a healthy version from pinterest that uses our other favorite, quinoa. Try this and we know you’ll get raves all around.

Serving Size: 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
Veggies of your choice (optional)
good pinch of salt
a few grinds of seasoning salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large eggs
1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions

Lightly saute any veggies you would like in this dish.
Cook quinoa to packaged instructions until fully cooked. (About 15 minutes)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13×9 inch dish( or 8 individual ramekins) with cooking spray.Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese. Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs add now and bake 30-35 mins, until bread crumbs are browned.