Check out this awesome new kids’ art workshop, run by super-creative-type and mama pal Theresa Kim. Let your kids dig in deep, and discover their inner artist. I love that these classes are affordable, and that there’s a coffee shop a few shops over, where you can enjoy a moment of quiet bliss while your kids becomes a mad artist.

Move beyond paint and paste!  Provide your young child an opportunity to richly delve into art and explore endless possibilities.  Kids’ Workshop:  Art Immersion will provide the spark, the guidance and the materials for that to happen this summer.  Led by Theresa Kim of Plus 4 Design, each week will have a theme to jump start the art.  Rather than having a preset project to complete, the children will be encouraged to create, discover and explore in his or her own imaginative way.  A parent is welcome to stay and participate, or you can pick your child up at the end of the hour and see what they’ve created.  With busy summer schedules, there is no need to commit to an entire session.  Sign up only for the weeks that work for you.  (There are a limited number of spaces).

Workshops will be held on Fridays in July and August from 9-10 am (for children ages two and three) and 10-11 am (for children ages four and five).

They will be located at Glitter Workshop, 6138 Mineral Point Road in Madison.

The cost is only $10 per workshop or 5 workshops for $40. This cost includes all materials.   Please email Theresa at theresaplusfour@gmail.com for more information or to register.

Hope to see you there!

—Mama Kate

Get this mamas and papas: No more licking off the nook/no-no/paci/pa/pacifier or bottle nipple when your kid throws it out of the stroller…or the car seat…or the pack ‘n play…or… Not even once.

With this handy little contraption, there can be no repeat offenders in the “let’s drop it 20 million times and get mom and dad to retrieve it, and clean the ground germs off it, every – single – time” game.  The Bobalong keeps everything neat and tidy and always within reach of your tiny. It fits kids 6-18 months old, and, it’s made of machine-washable neoprene and lycra, in assorted colors, and is adjustable, so you can make it snug, but comfy. Nice.

Wish these were around when my kids were little. I would have ingested far fewer germs.

—Mama Kate

My kids noggins are bedecked and ready for the summer sun. We recently put some Coolibar UPF 50+ hats to the test in Florida, and I’m glad to say they kept the kids happy as sunshine and their sweet faces and scalps pale instead of lobster red.

In fact, they did more than that; the hats did a fantastic job of protecting my kids from the sun—unlike the lousy 50SPF “very water resistant” sunscreen we applied and reapplied. That bad investment left whatever was not covered by a hat or rash guard fried after a day at the beach.

The kids also hoofed it around Disney World in the blazing Orlando sun. The brims on the girls’ Lulu and boys’ reversible khaki hats were wide enough to shade their, faces and necks, front and back. No peeling sunburned noses. And, the hats are lightweight, so it wasn’t a sweat fest as we baked in the upper 80s and low 90s.

We need have only packed one, as both hats are reversible –the boys’ khaki turns into an understated plaid that matches with both prepster and indie styles. The girls’ melon bonnet featured a sweet lilac ruffled hatband; my daughter also wore it reversed out to solid lilac.

But what the heck, it’s fun to have pool hat, too. I gotta say, I loved the chlorine-resistant bucket hats. Super lightweight and breathable, they dry in a flash. With the wide brims, they were perfect for the pool and the beach—helping shade eyes from the intense reflections off pool water and near-blinding white sands. Velcro tighteners around the head helped keep them on in the ocean breeze.

If you want to totally gear up, Coolibar carries a full line of rash guard, swims sets, and clothing for kids and adults—including a few cute SPF 50 sun hats and shirts that are calling this mama’s name, too.

—Mama Kate

Doherty’s accoustic folk-pop for kids is pretty dang delightful—which explains why the album is award-winning. How to describe it for adults? Bright. Happy. Toe-tapping, head-bobbing fun. Doherty’s voice reminds me of Sarah Harmer, one of my fave female singers for the grownup set.  In our house (and car), kid music has to be something mom and dad like to listen to. I, in fact, listened to it by myself in the car today because, well, I like it that much.  So, pardon me as I continue to wax on about her…

Our fave tracks: “Kitty Cat”(Kitty cat, kitty cat I’ve got a pretty cat—can’t stop singing it! So catchy it could make Doherty big bucks as a commercial!), the down-home “Uncle Ukulele’s Band,” “Farmer’s Market” (cuz we’re into messaging on green, fresh, local + sustainable around here), “Wheels in the City,” and “El Train” (what kid doesn’t like to ride trains?) The range is folk-poppy, with smatterings of jazz, a capella, good banjo strumming mountain sounds, and even a Spanish numbers lesson via song thrown in. And, in super coolness, all the lyrics are posted on her web site.

Doherty tours nationally. And maybe you’ve heard her lovely voice before: she’s sung with other national artists for Walt Disney Co. She’s just begun recording vocals for “Record-A-Song” books, including Dora the Explorer and Thomas the Train. She directed and taught Chicago’s Old Town School of Music’s Wiggleworms program before going full time with the kid-gigs.

Doherty’s show is the perfect antidote to this lionlike March weather we’re socked with. Head down to High Noon Saloon this Sunday. She’ll brighten your blustery day.

$10/adults, $5/kids, under age 1/free

—Mama Kate

The lineup for the International Festival, this Saturday, March 5, at the Overture Center, looks culturally spectacular.

Put a new tune to your ear, open it up to a new language, watch someone dance a traditional jig, celebrate the richness of diversity. Crafts, foods, music, dance, and other performances will keep you and your kiddos enthralled and entertained for the day. As the event is billed, “Local Goes Global”—all the performers call Madison home. Indeed, culture beyond the curd runs deep here.

Some specific examples of what you can take in:  Hmong fiber arts; African storytelling, drumming, dance, artifacts, clothing, and jewelry; Celtic and British Isles dance, language, and music; UW’s Russian folk orchestra; Taiwanese traditional puppet troupe; traditional and modern dance from the Middle East and more. And, you can meet with local international community groups.  Other cultures represented include: Polish, German, Chinese, Lithuanian, Argentine (tang0!), Bulgarian, Haitian, French, Cajun, Greek, and more!

Better yet: The event is FREE.

It’s fun straight through from 11 am to 5 pm.

—Mama Kate

Blackbird Family Yoga studio is a lovely space to practice. Cork floors. Walls painted a green that is at once calming and invigorating. High ceilings. Natural light streaming in through windows.

And a kid room. That’ right—there is childcare available during adult yoga sessions. Finally! That has been the thing that has prevented me from so many workouts and ohm sessions.

And then there’s Amanda Uphoff, our kid-parent yogi and studio owner, who is as lovely as her space. She hooks the kids in with a song about ohm, her voice as sweet as birdsong, then takes suggestions from the crowd about where we should go for our yoga adventure. Turns out we’re headed to a zoo in outerspace. We blast off and soon are doing tiger and horse poses, and kids are riding their grownups back while parked in plank. At class’s end, we snuggle up with our little yoga partners in shavasana under a fleecy blanket, and Miss Amanda comes ‘round to massage all the little feet and toes.

Amanda directs us well, but keeps it loose, too. Many of the younger kids explore around the room. And then there’s my little guy, who, because we are in outerspace, insists on incorporating lightsaber duel poses and Darth Vader breathing into our yoga session.  Sigh. I try to center and I breathe more deeply.  

Next time I’m going to go for parent-child yoga Mondays at 10, then stay for adult hatha at 11, while my kiddo plays away in the cozy and fun kid room. And, dear husband, I’d love a yoga party for my birthday.

On our way home, I ask my son, “What do you think of yoga, buddy?”

“I LOVE yoga!”

No better testimony than that!

Check back soon. Amanda will guest post about her fave poses for busy mamas!

— Mama Kate

Now, go slip into your yoga pants and do this. Repeat daily : 

As moms, our days usually begin on someone else’s terms (when was the last time you woke up because you were simply done sleeping!?), at which point we have a choice: we can either hit the ground running or play catch-up all day. So we run. I know that this kind of frenetic pace can take its toll on me, as I think it does for many of us…but yoga can help. Remember, we need to use the oxygen mask on ourselves before we can be of any assistance to our children! Being a mom involves a lot of selflessness, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t allow ourselves a few moments every day to treat ourselves with the same kindness we show our loved ones.

Below is a list of 5 of my favorite poses/ exercises to help me regain control of my breath, my patience, and myself. These poses are great for stress relief, as well as for inducing quality sleep. So put on some of your favorite music, roll out your yoga mat or even a towel/ blanket, and just breathe.

1) Wide-legged Standing Forward Fold
Turning sideways on your mat, place your feet as wide as is comfortable for your body/ level of flexibility. Place your hands on your hips and slowly start folding forward, keeping your back as straight as possible. When you are folded as deeply as your body permits you to, place your hands on the floor, on your feet, or on your shins. Now let your head hang down, using its weight to elongate your spine. This should feel good; if it doesn’t, try moving your feet closer to each other, or alternatively try bending your knees a bit. After taking 3-5 deep breaths in this pose, lift your head and breathe in while lifting your upper body halfway, parallel to the floor. Exhale and fold down again, letting your head hang heavy. After 3-5 more breaths, place your hands on your hips and slowly lift up to standing, using the strength of your legs and your core to do so.

2) Seated Forward Fold
Sit on your mat with your feet out in front of you, legs straight. Lift your arms up to the sky, straightening your spine/ neck as much as possible. Next, fold forward, reaching for the feet, shins, or whatever feels best. Again, this should feel good; you may feel resistance, but there should be no discomfort. Try to keep your back as straight as possible, although a little natural rounding of the spine is okay. Keep your shoulders down and back; if they are hunched up by your ears, see how it feels to open your chest and push your shoulders down and back. You should feel a huge opening in doing so. Let go of the day’s frustrations in this pose, and just surrender to your body in this moment. After 5-10 deep breaths in this pose, slowly lift up and shake your legs out.

3) Seated Twists
While seated cross-legged, take your right leg and place your right foot outside your left knee. Your right leg will be bent and your knee should be pointing up to the ceiling. Your left leg can also be bent, or it can be straight out in front of you. With a straight spine, raise your right arm up to the sky, then lower it back and behind the right side of your body. Take your left elbow to the outside of your right knee, using it to help you twist further to the right. In this pose it is very important to twist only from the upper spine – right between the shoulder blades – and not from the hips, which can harm the lower back. Keeping your spine straight and strong, and only twisting to your comfort level, will help with this. As you breathe in, elongate, as you breathe out, twist a bit deeper. Imagine your body is a washcloth and you are wringing all the dirty water out (all the day’s frustration) as you twist; as you elongate, you are saturating your washcloth with fresh, clean water. Take 5 deep breaths in this pose, and then repeat on the opposite side.

4) Legs Up The Wall
If your mat is not already against a wall, move it to a clear wall space. Lie down with your feet facing the wall, then move in toward the wall so that your straight legs are as far up the wall as is comfortable to you. Keep your upper body flat on the ground, perhaps placing a rolled-up towel or blanket under the arch of your back for support. Open your chest as you open your arms wide to the sides. Palms should face up to the sky. Eye pillows feel great in this pose, as do my kids’ beanbags! Relax all the muscles in your face, and try to quiet the mind. Stay in this pose as long as feels good, but at least a couple of minutes.

5) 5 Great Moments exercise
This is a good exercise to do in Legs Up The Wall pose, as it helps keep the mama judgement/ criticism of ourselves at bay. I also like to do it with my kids, because it never ceases to brighten my day. Reflecting upon your day, think of that day’s 5 Great Moments. My first great moment is often a hug from a sleepy, warm kiddo, or a hot cup of coffee, or a hot shower. My last moment great moment also often involves a hug or two from my kids, but it can also be a really great glass of red wine or an interesting, funny, uninterrupted conversation with my husband after the kids are tucked in. This exercise helps us practice gratitude towards ourselves and our lives, even though we may have had many moments throughout the day that we are decidedly NOT grateful for Yesterday a little girl in one of my yoga classes said that her first great moment of the day was “now,” which was so perfect. Enjoy the now. Try not to judge yourself too harshly for things you think you could’ve or should’ve done differently that day – take a note and move on. Remember to breathe. Remember to thank yourself for taking the last few minutes to tend to your mental and physical health. You deserve it!

— Yoga Mama Amanda Uphoff, owner of Blackbird Family Yoga in Middleton, WI

Enjoy!

—Mama Kate

Now, go slip into your yoga pants and do this. Repeat daily : 

As moms, our days usually begin on someone else’s terms (when was the last time you woke up because you were simply done sleeping!?), at which point we have a choice: we can either hit the ground running or play catch-up all day. So we run. I know that this kind of frenetic pace can take its toll on me, as I think it does for many of us…but yoga can help. Remember, we need to use the oxygen mask on ourselves before we can be of any assistance to our children! Being a mom involves a lot of selflessness, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t allow ourselves a few moments every day to treat ourselves with the same kindness we show our loved ones.

Below is a list of 5 of my favorite poses/ exercises to help me regain control of my breath, my patience, and myself. These poses are great for stress relief, as well as for inducing quality sleep. So put on some of your favorite music, roll out your yoga mat or even a towel/ blanket, and just breathe.

1) Wide-legged Standing Forward Fold
Turning sideways on your mat, place your feet as wide as is comfortable for your body/ level of flexibility. Place your hands on your hips and slowly start folding forward, keeping your back as straight as possible. When you are folded as deeply as your body permits you to, place your hands on the floor, on your feet, or on your shins. Now let your head hang down, using its weight to elongate your spine. This should feel good; if it doesn’t, try moving your feet closer to each other, or alternatively try bending your knees a bit. After taking 3-5 deep breaths in this pose, lift your head and breathe in while lifting your upper body halfway, parallel to the floor. Exhale and fold down again, letting your head hang heavy. After 3-5 more breaths, place your hands on your hips and slowly lift up to standing, using the strength of your legs and your core to do so.

2) Seated Forward Fold
Sit on your mat with your feet out in front of you, legs straight. Lift your arms up to the sky, straightening your spine/ neck as much as possible. Next, fold forward, reaching for the feet, shins, or whatever feels best. Again, this should feel good; you may feel resistance, but there should be no discomfort. Try to keep your back as straight as possible, although a little natural rounding of the spine is okay. Keep your shoulders down and back; if they are hunched up by your ears, see how it feels to open your chest and push your shoulders down and back. You should feel a huge opening in doing so. Let go of the day’s frustrations in this pose, and just surrender to your body in this moment. After 5-10 deep breaths in this pose, slowly lift up and shake your legs out.

3) Seated Twists
While seated cross-legged, take your right leg and place your right foot outside your left knee. Your right leg will be bent and your knee should be pointing up to the ceiling. Your left leg can also be bent, or it can be straight out in front of you. With a straight spine, raise your right arm up to the sky, then lower it back and behind the right side of your body. Take your left elbow to the outside of your right knee, using it to help you twist further to the right. In this pose it is very important to twist only from the upper spine – right between the shoulder blades – and not from the hips, which can harm the lower back. Keeping your spine straight and strong, and only twisting to your comfort level, will help with this. As you breathe in, elongate, as you breathe out, twist a bit deeper. Imagine your body is a washcloth and you are wringing all the dirty water out (all the day’s frustration) as you twist; as you elongate, you are saturating your washcloth with fresh, clean water. Take 5 deep breaths in this pose, and then repeat on the opposite side.

4) Legs Up The Wall
If your mat is not already against a wall, move it to a clear wall space. Lie down with your feet facing the wall, then move in toward the wall so that your straight legs are as far up the wall as is comfortable to you. Keep your upper body flat on the ground, perhaps placing a rolled-up towel or blanket under the arch of your back for support. Open your chest as you open your arms wide to the sides. Palms should face up to the sky. Eye pillows feel great in this pose, as do my kids’ beanbags! Relax all the muscles in your face, and try to quiet the mind. Stay in this pose as long as feels good, but at least a couple of minutes.

5) 5 Great Moments exercise
This is a good exercise to do in Legs Up The Wall pose, as it helps keep the mama judgement/ criticism of ourselves at bay. I also like to do it with my kids, because it never ceases to brighten my day. Reflecting upon your day, think of that day’s 5 Great Moments. My first great moment is often a hug from a sleepy, warm kiddo, or a hot cup of coffee, or a hot shower. My last moment great moment also often involves a hug or two from my kids, but it can also be a really great glass of red wine or an interesting, funny, uninterrupted conversation with my husband after the kids are tucked in. This exercise helps us practice gratitude towards ourselves and our lives, even though we may have had many moments throughout the day that we are decidedly NOT grateful for Yesterday a little girl in one of my yoga classes said that her first great moment of the day was “now,” which was so perfect. Enjoy the now. Try not to judge yourself too harshly for things you think you could’ve or should’ve done differently that day – take a note and move on. Remember to breathe. Remember to thank yourself for taking the last few minutes to tend to your mental and physical health. You deserve it!

— Yoga Mama Amanda Uphoff, owner of Blackbird Family Yoga in Middleton, WI

Enjoy!

—Mama Kate

EGADS! Stirrup pants are back! And at the Gap! I had hoped this bad fashion had died for good.

Sorry. Just had to share my horror.

—Mama Kate

I’m sure you’re in the same boat.

So, Mamas, email me with your best healthy and yummy lunch ideas — send along a recipe if it’s not self-explanatory. I’ll compile and share the wealth of ideas in post.

Thanks!

—Mama Kate