The holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy, love, and togetherness, but unfortunately, it can also be a time of stress and conflict. This is especially true when you have to spend time with toxic family members or deal with inappropriate comments about you, your children, or your parenting choices.  There are ways to deal with toxic comments from family during the holidays. It is not uncommon for baby boomers to be known for making rude and inappropriate comments, even discriminatory. However, what makes things worse is that they often try to justify their behavior using excuses that are not particularly valid. For instance, some may claim that they are too old to change their ways, that they are only speaking their minds, that their comments are harmless, that your generation is too sensitive, or that they’ve raised three kids, so they know best! Generally, I’d say…

Eventually, the time comes for every parent when their kids start questioning the existence of Santa Claus. It marks the end of a huge era for a lot of families, which is inevitable but always sad regardless. As a parent, how do you deal with your kids’ disappointment as they start to figure out the truth? My kids are older and mostly non-believers now, though some will never admit it. Having gone through it six times with each of my children, I’ve learned a few things over the years about dealing with the sadness over Santa Claus. How to handle the Santa talk – each child is different! Depending on your kid, the timing of what and when they start questioning Santa can differ greatly. Some don’t question Santa for a very long time, I had that child. He’s on the autism spectrum and takes things literally. To his mind…

T’is the season to start thinking about gifting. that doesn’t come as a surprise, but as a parent, the thing that always does catch me off-guard is the amount of gifts I need! Between my two kids, we have 6 teachers, 4 coaches, plus the 3 lovely ladies in our aftercare program. That’s an additional 13 gifts I need to consider!  They would all be grateful for a card, but I’m a gift-giver! I just love to show how much people mean to me, and gifting is my love language! I’ve found the solution to the perfect unique and practical teacher gifts – without overspending and still keeping it special and personalized! I’ve been using Mabel’s Labels since my kids were babies, and I’m a huge fan! Their labels are stuck on my kids’ stuff through everything! Plus, we never lose anything! That’s NOT because my kids are organized, but…

In 2023, we had the pleasure of printing out adorable names for labeling your kid’s things! Whether it was for back-to-school supplies, baby bottles, or sports equipment, we saw a lot of name trends that caught our attention. Some cute names stood out more than others, and we couldn’t help but notice their popularity. Top baby names at Mabel’s Labels & baby name predictions for 2024. We’re grateful that we get to see so many gorgeous kids’ names each year, and we hope to continue seeing them year after year! Most popular boys’ names at Mabel’s Labels and what they mean (according to Nameberry): JACK: English origin meaning “God is Gracious”. #14 most popular in the USA, and first at Mabel’s HENRY: German origin, meaning “Estate ruler”.  #7th most popular in the USA, and second at Mabel’s Labels CHARLIE: English origin, meaning “Free man”.  #178…

I LOVE the Christmas season; It gives me strong Christmassy vibes at the first sign of a snowflake. The magic, the smells, the family time, and the joy it brings the kids. Having said that, I also find it to be a stressful time. Like many moms, I feel the burden from the most wonderful time of the year. This is the first year that I have considered Elf on the Shelf. My daughter is now at an age where she’ll hear stories from classmates about the shenanigans their Elves are getting into. As an Elf newbie, I am considering whether I want to bring this relatively new tradition to my family. I just don’t know if I’m one of those families—an Elf family.  This time of year, my sanity hangs like a heavy Christmas ornament on a floppy tree branch. The season is labor-intensive and stressful, and busy. You’re…

Any new mom knows that you get a lot of receiving blankets for baby, perhaps a pack of two, tucked into almost every baby shower gift you receive.  I recall, as a new mom, wondering what a receiving blanket is really used for and why they are the go-to gift. To my surprise, the blankets I received became one of the most hard-working baby items we had! We used many daily and for a wide variety of jobs! What are receiving blankets used for? A receiving blanket is typically made from a lightweight, breathable material, usually printed in cute patterns and a variety of pastel colors. Receiving blankets have a wide variety of uses: -Wrapping baby (more on that later!) -A nursing blanket -A stroller cover (see safety tips!). -A tummy time rug -A burp cloth -A last-minute emergency wipe -A makeshift changing mat -A game of peek-a-boo! Receiving blankets…

I get a lot of questions about sleep – from clients of babies and clients of toddlers, moms and dads, grandma and grandpas, inexperienced parents, and parents who are on their eighth child. I have answered questions on the phone, via email, through text message, in line at the farmers’ market, and in the bathroom at Starbucks. I… have… heard… it… all.

A few questions never get old; they are asked over and over again because they are top of mind for virtually all parents of babies and young children. So, here are parents’ top sleep questions: a sleep consultant answers the biggest hurdles to those baby sleep challenges!