1m2aSandbox

Ladies and Gentlemen, not all sunscreens
are created equal.


The Environmental Working Group recently release a comprehensive
study of hundreds of brands of sunscreen, testing for
effectiveness, how well they live up to claims, how safe they are
for children, and more.

File this under How Cute Is My Kid:

Dear John:


Somehow, the fact that my brother is about to take his family
vacation via MINIVAN escaped me until just yesterday. I thought
you’d be spending a couple hours in-flight, then having a
good time visiting our cheesehead family.


I now know this is not the case, and thought I might pass on some
wisdom to you about traveling with infants. Yes, I know
you’ve done a few hours already, and yes, I know I’ve
never done a cross-country trip myself. But you see, there’s
a reason for that.


IT’S INSANITY.


However, I’m guessing it’s too late to talk you out of
it, so here are some suggestions. I am, after all, your sister, and
nothing if not opinionated.

I am allergic to poison ivy. I mean,
really allergic. I mean, a shot of cortisone allergic.


Lucky me, we’ve got a thoughtful back-yard neighbor who has
trained it to grow over our back wall and it cascades luxuriantly
down, intermingling coyly with our English ivy. This year’s
crop is especially lush, spanning a good ten feet and sporting
roots as thick as Brian’s forearm.


I try to avoid the stuff, but since a few years ago when I had to
get two cortisone shots in four months and my dermatologist tersely
ordered me to not get within 20 feet of that $#@# (his word) wall,
I really try to avoid it. Mostly I just stare and seethe.


But since Maddie’s become mobile that poison bouquet just
taunts me. I’m paranoid a stray leaf will blow towards the
lawn and my baby will be miserable for weeks. And now that
we’ve got two kids and a wading pool, I decided enough was
enough. It was gonna be me, or that stupid poison ivy.


And by me, I mean my husband.

Madeleine was born with very little hair, which then took a really long time to grow in. I mean, really long time. First she had to have that dark brown newborn hair fall out, which took several months; right around three months old she was sporting a sort of Paul Giamatti bald fringe thing due to her awkward newborn hair combining with the unfortunate bald spot she was rubbing into the back of her head.

While surfing the internet a few months
ago in search of the latest and greatest products for us moms, I
came across something I’d never seen before – a product
called Momspit. Intrigued, I delved deeper and discovered
it’s brand spanking new and very unique. After a few emails
back and forth with the inventor (a mom- of course!) I decided to
give it a try and see what exactly this thing is.


Intrigued yet? Check this out –

A couple days ago we did something that
was either incredibly inspired or incredibly stupid.


We took both girls for well-baby visits at the same time.


Maddie was due for her 2-year check-up, so we scheduled it to
coincide with Cora’s 2-month visit. We had it all planned:
first Cora and I would go into the room, and I’d nurse Cora
after her shots to comfort her. Then Maddie and Daddy would come
in, and home we’d go. How did it go?


Guess.