By Stephanie Precourt

Well, so much for the big park tour. I didn’t make it to any parks this week. We’re not off to a good start.

First of all, the weather has been, well, I guess typical for Northwest Indiana meaning it will be cold when it should be warm, rain when it shouldn’t and not rain when it should. This can be tricky when you’re planning trips to the park.

Also, my midwife Lynda passed away. And I really haven’t had my mind anywhere else since hearing this news.

While the kids have been getting into old toys I had put into storage, awaiting a yard sale, I rearranged the contents of my kitchen cabinets while I watched back to back Mad Men episodes. I am finding it ironic as do housework while I catch up with the show (now on episode 7 I think), folding basket after basket of laundry- I watch the housewives on the show do their housework. It’s still entertainment. And I need it right now. Something to get my mind off things.

Tonight I’ll go to Lynda’s visitation and I’m nervous. I know that I haven’t realized fully the impact of her passing. Will it hit me tonight when I’m there? I am not good at keeping back tears in public. I keep replaying my time with her over and over in my head. If I had known… if I had known it would be so short, that her BRIGHT light would not shine much longer, I might have been a different friend to her. I would have thirsted more for her stories. Told her more about how much I appreciated everything about her.

And I can’t stop thinking about the beer bread.

During my labor we ate wheat beer bread that she just raved about and I am pretty sure I promised to order her some. I know I was in labor but I am quite sure a promise was made. After the baby got a little bigger I planned to put a box of it and a bottle of beer on her doorstep. But months passed and life happened and I thought maybe I would just surprise her with it the next chance I got. And as time continued to pass, maybe I’d finally do it when Ivy was 1 year old, like a celebration.

She is gone now and I can not get this nagging voice out of my head reminding me about the BEER BREAD.

I would have… could have… should have…

I have no doubt that every person and baby Lynda’s life has touched will go on to tell her stories. Will continue to shine her light. Will pick up right where she left off with her teaching and her laughter and her kindness and generosity. She will be remembered. Life happened. Death happened. I am so sad she is gone.

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

So, I’m on a quest to find the perfect park.

Our old favorite is Bicentennial because Shhh no one ever goes there and we get the whole big place all to ourselves. But last week it was SO HOT and the kids only wanted to sit and eat snacks by me while I tried to visit with a friend. Don’t they know these park days are really playdates for ME!?

[Bicentennial, haz swingz.]

We went to Woodland Park in Portage twice and I really do like it there with all its trees and cool breezes and FREE LUNCHES but it’s a bit of a drive right off the toll road. (But within close proximity to a Starbucks.) But I saw like eleventy hundred spiders. Two were on me. And I heard the bees get bad there, too.

[Woodland Park, with old school and new school play stuffs (and spiders.)]

We visited Kirchoff Park once last year but it’s kinda small with not a lot of bench room to sit and chat. And the older kids seemed to get bored quickly. And Tower Park is okay for toddlers but last time I was there it was overrun by a Very Organized Mommy Group who, like, did

their hair and makeup and sniffed their noses at me and my unshowered normal boho-chic friends.

Rogers Lakewood is wonderful for a peaceful nature walk with a great playground but you have to pay to get in. Valplayso is annoyingly plagued with too many blindspots and an escape route opening way too close to the road.

[Valplayso, yummy mulch.]

It’s almost becoming an addiction, planning where we’ll visit each day. After dinner tonight I even thought about trying Foundation Meadows AKA Butterfly Park because it was less likely to be crazyobnoxiouscrowded but it doesn’t! have! swings! And the ice cream man has been known to stalk the parking lot and just SIT THERE PLAYING POP GOES THE WEASEL until parents give in.

Instead right now we’re out in our own backyard where we do have stuff to play on and room to run. And wi-fi.

Ideally there would be a place not too far away, with shade over the playground- and maybe even a mist tent?-, and areas to sit (for me, like a massage chair) and the baby (soft ground that is not all mulch that she thinks is yummy pretzels). It would have baby swings for Ivy and fun climbing challenging structures or something woodsy and interesting for the older kids. Clean restrooms are a plus. And not a lot of bugs or bees. Throw in a coffee/snack bar with live entertainment and I’m there.

Do you know where I might find such a magical place?

Or something I could settle with? I heard there was a splash pad in Lake County somewhere (and Porter County, what’s yer problem? We need a splash pad already). What else am I missing? I want to go to there. So where do we head to next? We seriously go almost every single day. In the words of my clever friend, where do you park?

And if you don’t live nearby to give suggestions, do you keep your favorite place a secret, too?

Be sure to enter the Real Reviews Giveaways here. (Need not be a local to enter.)

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

Ok! Better late than never, right? The latest issue of NWIparent is out now (and has BEEN out but I was a bit delayed in posting this here Real Reviews Giveaway).

If you’re local, be sure to get your copy and check out the great products and recommendations in Real Reviews. This month I’ve got a few great products to give away!

Like… the awesome Safe Sizer Plates with a tiny guide right there on the plate for you to be sure every time that your little one is eating just the right size.

And for those learning to tie their shoes (newsflash- they won’t want to wear Velcro forever!) - Loopeez are a great learning tool for getting those laces crossed and looped and tied!

It’s eco-friendly and convenient and just plain smart these summer days- Sun Smarties Adjustable Swim Diapers are what’s in.

Win! Enter to win a Sun Smarties Adjustable Diaper [$13], a set of 3 Safe Sizer plates [$18], and a pair of Loopeez [$5] (for boy or girl).

Just leave a comment here by 11:59 pm June 30, 2009 and one winner will be randomly chosen from the comments. One entry per household.  This contest is open to US residents only.

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

I love her eyes. I want her voice. Everyone knows I am crazy for Joni and Tori and Aimee and soon Diane may be able to go around by her first name, too… Diane Birch, that is. Her debut album Bible Belt will take you back. Way back. It’s retro but soo current. Makes you wistful and daydreamy and then wanting to spin around in a poofy skirt.

There’s a special promotion going on right now with Diane Birch and several charities like SOS Children’s Villages, Autism Speaks, March of Dimes, Keep A Child Alive, Share Our Strength or Susan G. Komen for the Cure. For each person that buys her album from either the iTunes or Amazon link through the widget below, a $1donation per album sold will be made in my name. I don’t really care who’s name it’s in, it’s pretty cool.

Please find out more about the Discover & Donate program here, and how you can get involved (and maybe even win a private concert!)

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing. Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

(Psst: here’s the skinny. Win free ice cream here.)

If you’re driving around Valpo, we call Ransom Rd (the road between Froberg and Campbell) Rollercoaster Road. It features some of the biggest dips and hills in Valparaiso. And the kids beg to take that way a lot. Well, Noah and Carter do and Gray screams NO! NO! but he loves it anyway.

You don’t even have to go very fast to feel the roller-coastery ascent and the drop in your stomach when you go down.

Out past that road are some large houses and we sometimes daydream outloud about how nice it would be to live in one. I imagine a spacious kitchen and the boys long for some place big enough so that “our room will be far from Ivy’s and we can be loud and won’t wake her up.”

It would be nice. I cross my fingers and say a prayer,  maybe that is a blessing waiting down another road for us someday.

But tonight as I supervised three dirty boys in our small bathroom shower, and we all piled together on my bedroom floor to read one more story before bed… what we’ve got now is good. No matter how much or how little, it’s good. I have a feeling if I lived in a house with five times the square feet of this one the kids would STILL always be underfoot.

I hate it and I love it. I can’t wait for them to be more independent yet at the same time I don’t want to blink and miss a thing.

You don’t have to go fast in this life to still feel the roller-coastery ascent, and the drop in your stomach when you go down.

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing. Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

So, I’m not really an ice cream fan. And I don’t eat much dairy. But I have a friend that likes ice cream very much and it’s totally growing on me now. Big time.  I was asked to try out some Skinny Cow Ice Cream Bars and thought, free ice cream is way better than no ice cream. Totally worth a try.

And even though they have 2g of fat and very little calories, you’d never know. I don’t think I’d be able to tell the difference between these and one from Dairy Queen. And I grew up on the DQ. Only thing is, since they are so low in fat and calories you’ll find yourself wanting more than one. Or maybe sneaking out to the garage freezer to eat when no one else is looking (because if they look then they will see you are having a second AND they will want one, too.) They’re all mine.

Well, they can be all yours, too, if you leave some for me. I have a gift certificate for free Skinny Cow goodies (a 12 pack!) and I will gladly pop it in the mail to one commenter here. Just let me know below if you’d like it. And be a resident of the US. And you can tell me your favorite ice cream flavor if you want, too. Since I haven’t been a huge fan there are many flavors I’ve never tried. I would love ideas!

I’ll choose one winner at random from the comments sometime after 11:59PM Wednesday June 6.

Thanks to Mom Central for this opportunity!

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing. Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

By Stephanie Precourt

So, it’s Mother’s Day. Pretty much like any other day of the year at my house. Only I am reminded that maybe I should be feeling something extra special or maybe have the day OFF? But I don’t. Not really.

I don’t want gifts like jewelry or even flowers. We don’t have the extra money to celebrate this kind of day frivolously. I don’t need more STUFF.  What I want is to be doing what I’m doing right now, really. I went and got myself a latte and muffin from Starbucks and am now sitting at my computer with quiet all around me.

We had to stay home from church due to illnesses but thankfully naps are being taken by the littles (and Daddy, ahem) and the big kids are playing outside.

But I get a chance to write. And sip my iced coffee. And this is pretty nice. I wish I could do it the whole day long. I wish I could do this every day.

Truthfully, there is a load of hubby’s whites in the washer and colors in the dryer. I’ve got a pasta salad to make for a BBQ tonight. Then lunch to make. And dishes to wash after that. In probably a few minutes Ivy will be up and I’ll be juggling babies and chores again- (OH JUST AS I TYPED THAT THE DOOR SLAMMED AND THE MONITOR LIT UP WITH IVY’S “I’M AWAKE” CRIES!) (Oh, she went back to sleep.)

A nap is no where in my near future today or probably this whole week. I’m getting over some sort of cold, too. One that was passed to me by my hubby who got to stay home 1 1/2 days of work and sleep the entire time because of it. But me? I blow my nose and keep on truckin’.

(Ivy is up now.)

So, I did get a couple cute things from the kids like homemade artwork and papers they made in school.

And a card Noah made for me with a special treat inside.

Looks like I’ll be getting myself a grilled chicken meal this week. And no, that is not my hubby’s idea of giving a Mother’s Day gift- Noah found the coupon in my Mom’s purse, apparently. Things are tight, but not that tight!

Well, even if they were, it’s the thought that counts. And it gave me a laugh.

Laughs are good presents.

If Mother’s Day is just like any other day of the year, then maybe I should look at any other day of the year like Mother’s Day. And treat myself accordingly.

Oprah, is there any way you can get Starbucks in on the free coupon downloads?

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing. Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

It was the summer before I started 8th grade. I was staying with my Aunt & Uncle in Louisiana and my Mom had taken a job at General Mills doing shift work. The midnights were taking a toll on her and one day when she went to get her hair cut she fell asleep and the hair stylist cut all her hair off.

Like, for real. BUZZED it. And if I remember correctly she even had lines shaved in the sides of her head.

Remember when that was in style? Well, not so much when it’s YOUR MOM.

She was not happy when she woke up. I am pretty sure she cried.

So, around that time there was an Oprah show about Hair Horror Stories and oh did my Mom have a story. They had her in the audience and she even stood up and spoke.  She had even taken along the bandannas she had been forced to wear on her head while her hair grew out.

The hair experts on stage scolded my Mom for falling asleep. I admit at that time (even as a pre-teen) I wondered how you could fall asleep at the salon. I thought surely my Mom had some idea of what the stylist was doing.

Today I had a hair appointment at five o’clock. Hubby made it home in time for me to go and I’ll be honest. I’m beat. Wiped out. Ready to collapse.

So I kinda did into the salon chair. I closed my eyes and went somewhere far away. My stylist even apologized for having to make me stand so she could get at my bangs better, “I hate to make you get up. I know you’re so sleepy.”

She could have cut it all off and I wouldn’t have noticed. I probably would have just kept on dozing. And it would have been worth it.

I’ll be honest again. I didn’t want to go home afterward. I had dinner to make and homework to check and bedtime routines and YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES.

I’m still up.

At least my hair is out of my eyes.

At least I still have hair.

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing. Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

Got food allergies? Who doesn’t these days? My first go-round was when we found out Carter had a nut allergy. Pretty severe- hives and the works. Thankfully by about age four he tested that he wasn’t allergic anymore and we were to go home and give him a peanut butter sandwich! And he was fine!

Then we had Grayson.

He was just about 9 months old when we found out he was allergic to dairy, eggs, and nuts. And sensitive to lots of other things, too.  What can he eat?? Good question.

There are many products geared toward the food allergy prone these days. Add in feeding them to a three year old and it can get tricky. Or painful. (To the parent.) You soon learn to ready EVERY label in the grocery aisle (and you must do it every time because they change things on you! Without warning you first!) And there are plenty of nut-free things out there BUT it probably has dairy. Or eggs. Same with dairy-free cookies. Warning: May be processed with nuts or some jargon like that.

I was excited to have the opportunity to try out some Home Free treats that are not only made with organic ingredients, but are also peanut free, egg free, dairy free, and tree nut free. And no, ha, they are not taste-free.

Actually, the first box of cookies I opened for Gray- the Organic Mini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies - disappeared before I could even try them myself. My non-food allergy children ate them up, too! They are $5.49 for about 31 mini cookies that aren’t that tiny, so I do think this is pretty reasonable, if not better, compared to other brands.

For the very severe allergy sufferers, where even the slightest cross-contamination could be deadly, Home Free has dedicated their kitchen as well as the suppliers they choose to ensure that there is never any room for contact with the offending allergens. This includes using non-latex gloves as well!

Now, that is going above and beyond in my score book.

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

Some days just getting out of bed and into "regular clothes" is meeting all my goals. (Please note that regular clothes usually means 1. what I wore yesterday and/or 2. clean pajamas.)

My actions are usually just the normal hamster wheel. Clean the dishes from last night then mess up more dishes, clean again.  Wash clothes, wash clothes, wash clothes. Feed kids, clean kitchen, feed kids, clean kitchen. Fight mini battles in between. Repeat.

Today, I feel a sense of tremendous success that, despite what I think is the beginnings of a stomach bug (Lord, please, no), I tackled the boys’ bedroom. Who knew socks and underwear could hide in SO many places? No wonder I kept having to buy them a new pack every time I go to Target. (And I go to Target A LOT.) I swear I found 15 pairs of underwear under the beds and in the TOYBOX.

That is also where I found Noah’s bedspread . Been looking for that!

I even vacuumed. Multiple rooms! AND made the dentist appointment for Noah that I have been meaning to but looking up the phone number just took too. much. energy.  A shower happened, too, including a trip to the bank. I’m pinching myself- did I really get all that done today?

Normally I would take the rest of the week off, then, after such dramatic accomplishments. But I’m hopeful to continue making my way about the house, room to room. Feeling like things are quite do-able. Not so overwhelming.

I can do this.

Stephanie blogs daily at Adventures In Babywearing . Follow her on Twitter- she’s babysteph .

Enter the NWIparent Real Reviews Giveaway here .