The New Parents Guide Blog

Marc Brown’s “Arthur” series will never lose its appeal with kids.  The characters are so real and relatable, and they go through the same experiences that every kid goes through.

Arthur’s Off to School takes the reader through the “Arthur” characters’ morning routine, with one running late, one losing his lizard, and one looking for the perfect outfit.  In the middle of all of this, a younger sibling wishes she was old enough to go to school too!

If your child is getting ready to go to school for the first time, Arthur’s Off to School is a wonderful book for you and your young student to enjoy together.  This, or any other book by Marc Brown, is a fun back-to-school read.

Enjoy the weekend and I’ll be back on Monday with a big Basket of Bargains AND a giveaway!  Don’t miss it!

Adding a new member to the family, no matter how adorable, means that you’ll need to rethink even the most well-established household routines.  And new members of the family, no matter how tiny, always come along with a whole bunch of stuff.

Where is it all going to go?

Jennifer Ford Berry, author of Organize Now!, understands the concerns parents have–she’s a parent herself.  She’s dealing with kitchen clutter and toy clutter and papers brought home from school as well as junk mail, pantry storage and even the home office.  Organize Now! is a week-by-week guide to organizing the stuff you have into the space you have, and to deciding what you really need to keep (and where best to keep it.)

I’m reading this book now, and I find that she has broken down tasks into manageable chunks.  You don’t have to do the whole house right now.  You can start at the beginning and work right through, or you can choose a chapter and jump right in to organize the space that needs the most help right now.  Everything is laid out step by step, with easy-to-follow checklists, common-sense tips, and even space for notes.

Even the construction of the book is well-thought-out.  It’s spiral-bound with a spine covering the spirals so they won’t get caught in something and unravel.  And because it’s spiral-bound, it lays flat on your desk or table.  The paper is very sturdy, and it’s a very pretty book, decorated with colorful borders on each page.  It’s made to look like a planner because it works like one–it’s your organization planner!

Enjoy your weekend–I’m planning a family picnic on Mr. College Bound’s last weekend at home.  See you Monday with a fresh basket of bargains!

DO try this at home!

A child’s first teachers are his parents, and Tara Copley and Andrea Custer’s book Kitchen Table Play and Learn is full of fun activities that parents and children can do together.  It’s more like a book of games than a book of lessons, but the games are fun, often quick to play, and your child won’t even know he’s learning!

Even better, the materials needed for these games are ordinary household objects, so you won’t be scrambling to find (and pay for) supplies.  The games will help your child learn skills in counting, number sequencing, letter recognition, matching and more, and are based on 30 themes that interest preschool children:  the ocean, sports, and farm animals, to name just a few.

You won’t really do all of these activities at your kitchen table–but it’s a great place to start!

If you’re getting ready for school to begin, visit our Back-to-School page for a great selection of uniforms, backpacks, lunchboxes and more.  And don’t miss the Back-to-School Coupons page for the very best deals.

See you Monday with a fresh Basket of Bargains.  Enjoy the weekend!

When you’ve had enough of the too-serious, too-competitive and too-high-pressure attitudes about raising your children, the first place you go is to a like-minded BFF who can tell you how to take it easy.  No BFF nearby? Then grab The Perfect Baby Handbook and get a good laugh.

This is truly funny stuff.  Sure, on the outside it looks like it’s a serious reference manual–but get a load of the subtitle:  “A Guide for Excessively Motivated Parents.”  This book spoofs everything from designer fashions for babies to baby names and minute-by-minute schedules.  You’ll find chapters on competitive breastfeeding and socioeconomically-appropriate strollers, as well as how to perfectly place baby silverware in a formal dinner setting.  In other words, everything is covered, and skewered, by author Dale Hrabi.

Whether you’re an expectant parent or already raising your children, you’ll enjoy this wickedly humorous spoof on the perfect-parenting genre.  Because all parents need a good laugh every now and again, even (perhaps especially) at their own expense.

Have fun this weekend, and visit again on Monday to check out the new additions to our Basket of Bargains!

It’s getting to be that time of year.  If you live in some areas of the South, it’s already that time of year:  back-to-school time!   That means moms everywhere are back to packing lunchboxes for their kids.

I’ll only be packing lunches for two kids this year, since my oldest is off to college.  His lunch was the easiest, though:  every day, turkey and bacon on a roll with a little mayo, a can of Dr. Pepper, some cookies, grapes and pretzels.  The other two are not so easy to please.

If you’ve got picky eaters to start with and you find that your kids’ lunches are scrutinized by teachers and lunchroom staff (as I’ve discovered), Annabel Karmel’s cookbook will be a big help.  Lunch Boxes and Snacks contains over 120 healthy recipes for sandwiches, soups, salads and treats.

You’ll find tips on food safety and packing a lunch that stays fresh even after spending the morning in a backpack or locker, as well as recipes you can make ahead and even recipes your child can help you cook!  There are even ideas for transforming last night’s leftovers into today’s delicious lunch.

Getting ready for Back to School?  Check out our Back-to-School Products page, as well as the Back-to-School Sales at Ultimate Coupons!

I’ll be back Monday with a fresh Basket of Bargains.

If you don’t want your child to live on a diet of nothing but chicken fingers and mac-n-cheese, you’ll need a cookbook that helps you appeal to tiny tastebuds as well as to the rest of the family. The Big Book of Recipes of Babies, Toddlers and Children has 365 family-friendly and healthy dishes.

I’ve never been fond of the whole short-order cook idea.  If I was, I’d be working at a diner instead of a desk.  So while I do bend for children who aren’t fond of gravy or casseroles, I refuse to make several different entrees to please a picky eater.

This book is divided into sections including the basics of healthy eating, baby’s first foods, foods for toddlers, foods for older children, and even a section on menu planning.  The recipes include a time frame to help you plan your cooking time, and the book also has a handy section on safe food storage and healthy snacks.

Bon appetit!

Have a great weekend–and stay cool!  Where I live, we’re expecting to top 100 degrees today.  I’ll see you again on Monday, provided I don’t melt, with a fresh Basket of Bargains.