Want to send a quick hello to the big man himself? Now you can send text messages to Santa and get an answer direct from the North Pole!
To start texting with Santa all you have to do is complete your contact information on the online form here, including the names of your kids. After you submit the form, you’ll receive an initial text confirming that you want to receive texts from Santa. Reply “yes” to the text and you’re ready to correspond with the jolly old elf.
You can then expect to receive your first text from Santa on Dec. 1, with texts arriving approximately every five days throughout the month of December. Santa will send a variety of messages like jokes, holiday recipes, facts and little reminders to keep the season merry. All of the messages are completely kid-appropriate, free and of course, direct from Santa himself.
“I wanted to take people inside my process this year, show them how I prepare for my biggest night and spread Christmas cheer,” Santa said in a statement. “Mrs. Claus and I have been getting better and better at texting. The elves have been teaching us. We can even send emojis and GIFs now!”
Sometime over the summer, parents usually hear the very first, “How many more days until Christmas?” query. You’ll laugh and say, “Not for a while, buddy” as you toss bathing suits into the laundry basket. But as the days go on, the questions keep coming. Vague answers aren’t quite cutting it for your eager kiddo. The Tobi 2 Robot Smartwatch can be a gamechanger for Kriss Kringle-obsessed kids—because every parent could use a Robot to get us through the holiday season, #amiright?
This fun, interactive smartwatch features an intuitive, kid-friendly interface that helps kids learn to tell time and keep track of it. They can use a stopwatch, timer, alarm clock, calendar and set reminders—perfect for keeping tabs on the days until Santa comes down the chimney.
And should they need a little distraction from focusing on the best-holiday-of-the-year… they can keep busy and engaged with a variety of learning, arcade and fitness games. The pedometer, dance activity game and augmented reality Walk n’ Wonder game will keep their body moving while they dream up their wish list!
Another reason your kids will want this smartwatch? The Tobi robot character speaks gibberish, giggles and has more than 100 expressions. Featuring moving arms and legs, this built-in interactive robot is here to help children learn, manage important tasks (like a Christmas countdown!), and have tons of fun every day.
It’s only October but that why wait until Black Friday to start your holiday shopping? Target Deal Days are back!
From Sun. Oct. 10-Tues. Oct. 12 Target is sharing its lineup of deals at Target.com, on the Target app and in all stores (for the first time ever!). So what kind of deals are we talking about?
photo: Courtesy of Target
Head to Target starting this Sunday to get access to thousands of deals on electronics, apparel, kitchen appliances, TV’s and more. And this year, you don’t have to rush to get that amazing price.
Target has updated their holiday price match guarantee to start even earlier and run from Oct. 10-Dec. 24. Shoppers can request a price adjustment on all items purchased at Target (check the company’s policy for a few exceptions) if the price is lowered during the holiday season. Not only that, Target will continue to price match select competitors pricing within 14 days of purchase.
Sports parents can attest to the fact that even though they love cheering on their favorite club team, they don’t enjoy standing outside in the freezing cold. Those days of shivering on the sidelines may be over.
The Chaheati Maxx Heated Chair looks to be the answer to this problem! Starting at $110 (there are a few versions available), the chair has four temperature settings, rechargeable battery and convenient carrying case.
Whether you spend your weekends at your neighborhood’s soccer field or camping with your kid’s scout troop, this chair is key to keeping your rear end warm all fall.
This year was one for the books: we finally got our Friends reunion! Now we can count down the holiday season with the 2021 Friends: The Official Advent Calendar.
Packed with 25 days of goodies, Friends fans will love taking a trip back to Central Perk and other nostalgic moments of the beloved show. You’ll be surprised with mementos, mini books, activities and even a few recipes. Could it BE any more exciting?
Friends: The Official Advent Calendar is available starting today on Amazon for $25.
Whether you’re pregnant, a new mom for the first (or fifth) time, or just want to reminisce about those magical early days of motherhood, here are articles that capture it all—the good, bad, hilarious and exhausting. We’ve also included tons of solid advice on self-care, so you can feel your best and get the most out of being a mom.
8 Things to Never Say to a Pregnant Woman & 1 Thing You Should We've all heard the surprising, laughable and downright rude things people say to pregnant women. See how many you've heard and learn the one thing we should all be saying to ourselves and other pregnant women.
20 Things You’ll Think During the Third Trimester The third trimester is an exciting and pretty weird time. If you're in the home stretch or want to revisit those days, read on and prepare to nod and smile at these 20 relatable thoughts.
26 Cheat Sheets Every Pregnant & New Mama Needs If you're too busy to read pregnancy and parenting books to find answers to all of your questions, these are the CliffsNotes you need. Bookmark it and thank us later.
New Moms & Beyond
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Hang in There: 25 Things New Moms Need to Hear Yes, it can be tough. No, you won't sleep enough and will worry too much. But you're doing great. Here are 25 key pieces of advice you'll treasure as a new mom.
21 Things You’ll Think as a New Mom It's amazing what a heart bursting with love for a new baby and a profound lack of sleep will do to a mom's brain. Read on to laugh and feel truly seen.
12 Reasons Why New Moms Need Friends It's strange to feel lonely when someone is literally attached to your hip (or your boob). But that's what it's like and why it's worth the effort to make new friends and keep the old.
“10 Things Every Toddler Mom Should Know.” Signed, Your Toddler You finally figured out the baby thing and then your child turned into a toddler, with all the food-throwing and big feelings that goes along with it. We decode the toddler mind so you can better understand and enjoy them.
10 Ways for New Moms to Feel Like Themselves Again It's easy to lose yourself in your new life as a mom. And some things, like your belly, may never go back to how they were. But that's okay, when you've figured out how to love your new normal. We show you how.
10 Quick, Easy Self-Care Tips for New Moms Self-care looks different for every mama, but one thing's for sure: We all need it. Try these ideas for taking care of yourself.
Win Back 30+ Minutes in Your Day, New Moms! New moms never seem to have enough time—until they read this article and learn all the smart ways to carve out quality time in your day.
DIY Beauty Hacks because You Need Self Care Right Now Look and feel like you just stepped out of the salon (even if you haven't left your house in days) with these easy and inexpensive beauty tips using products you probably already have at home.
Today was one of those days when I was struggling. I had a bunch of work I needed to get done, I wanted to do a long workout to make up for not working out at all yesterday, I had cooking to do to prep for the next few days and Meadow just wanted to play with me. It’s so easy to write off these kinds of days—and I know all us parents have them—and just assume we will find moments to connect tomorrow. But, today Meadow was my teacher. We came back from a walk and she said, “Let’s find some pieces of nature, Mommy.”
So, we did. We went into the front yard. We crawled over rocks, looked under trees, hopped over puddles. At each spot, we collected leaves and sticks, and rocks. We looked at color and texture. We found unusual shapes and unexpected angles. We delighted over a particularly shiny pink-ish pebble. We exclaimed at the brightness of the colors on the leaves. And as we found each treasure we put it in a box.
Spending that time outdoors with her shifted my entire day. I was reminded, once again of the groundbreaking and amazing work of Pediatrician Nooshin Razani, MD who is prescribing nature to kids as part of her practice. If you haven’t heard of her work, check out this UCSF article or her amazing Ted Talk. Being in nature helps with anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress and so many other issues that so many children face.
Particularly, right now in the face of a pandemic, kids and adults alike are facing huge feelings of isolation and overwhelm. My family is very privileged to be able to access nature whenever we want and we talk a lot about how for many kids, that is not an option and we need to work hard to ensure that children in the future all have access to the beauty that surrounds us in California and beyond.
We finished our collection process with a new sense of ease and smiles. I wasn’t looking at my watch or checking my email. I was just out there observing, seeing, noticing with Meadow.
We came inside and Meadow carefully arranged each item on a piece of plain white paper with the detailed eye like you would expect to see on reality TV shows with celebrity designers. Each item had a specific place it needed to be placed. As I watched her work, and she consulted me on my thoughts, I couldn’t help but admire the ease she found in creating balance with the objects. The stick bends one way, so she found a leaf that bent the other way. The rock was pointy, so she found something round to balance it.
It occurred to me that maybe part of the reason that nature relieves stress is because it is by definition, in balance. There is nothing that needs to be changed or switched. Every item in nature is placed exactly as it should be. As we work to destress and declutter our lives, maybe all we really need to do is look outside more often and find the masterpieces in plain sight.
Nina Meehan is CEO and Founder Bay Area Children's Theatre and the host of the Creative Parenting Podcast. An internationally recognized expert in youth development through the arts, Nina nurtures innovation by fostering creative thinking. She is mom to Toby (13), Robby (10) and Meadow (5).
It’s official: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is back! After a hiatus, one of the world’s most iconic celebrations is returning to the streets of NYC.
The 95th edition of the parade will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Nov. 25. It will also air on NBC in all time zones for optimal viewing pleasure for those of us not brave enough to weather the, well weather.
photo: Mimi O’Conners for Red Tricycle
More details are expected to come, but it can be assumed guests may be limited as the world still navigates the pandemic. As of now, Macy’s has also stated its volunteers and staff will be vaccinated,
To stay tuned on the event that’s only 77 days away, be sure to check the Macy’s Parade website.
Summer break is an odd time, it seems to equal parts fly by and drag on forever—just when you’ve broken in the bathing suit, stores start pushing Back to School aisles with fervor. Yes, the return of the never-ending to-do list that goes with a new school year can be overwhelming, but there’s always a silver lining. We came up with 13 reasons to rejoice when the first day of school arrives, keep reading to see them all.
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1. New year, new adventures! With each new year comes new opportunities and exciting new milestones. Every new school year offers so many new adventures whether it’s mastering new skills, joining a new sports team, going to their first dance or starting a new school. It’s one more step on their stairway to the amazing adults they will someday be!
2. Because you’re officially out of ideas. Whether you’ve shuttled them between camps or ran your very own Mom Camp, there are no more zoos, museums, play gyms or pool days you can take. You’re officially Summered out and frankly, so are they, even if they won’t admit it. Let’s hear it for Fall!
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3. Your home can finally be clean again! Kind of! Basically, by Day 5 of summer, your home resembled a Demolition Zone, and it’s been an uphill battle ever since. Frankly, you’ve given up. Now there’s that small glimmer of hope your home can actually be clean or at least passable for maybe forty-eight hours in the middle of the week. Your living room has never looked so glorious!
4. They can finally break up with their iPad! ...or other electronic devices. Let’s face it, the most well-meaning mom among us sometimes has to call it in the name of getting things done and let the kids grab more screen time than maybe we wish. Especially on the long hot days of summer where hours seem to go on end. So long screen time, time to reunite with book time!
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5. Peace and quiet What’s that I hear? NOTHING!? Silence!? It can’t be. Kids are many things ... sweet, funny, smart ... but one thing they most assuredly are not is quiet. If for even just a few minutes, take it in ... bask in that sweet beautiful silence. It won’t last long!
6. More real field trips, fewer field trips to the grocery store Everyone knows doing anything with kids takes 10x longer. When it comes to the grocery store, it also gets 10x more expensive. All summer, you’ve been that mom terrorizing the aisles with a small posse in tow. Your first grocery run after school’s back in feels like a trip to Paris. Errands are yours again!
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7. Finally having a routine. Despite saying they hate it, kids love and, more importantly, need a routine and structure. So getting them back to their old routine (and yours) is something that helps the whole family thrive. There's a reason why teachers have a daily schedule breaking down every minute of the day. Children thrive from knowing what's expected from them, and planning ahead helps them better handle transitions. Structure is your friend!
9. Time to work out that brain again. Try as you may to check off that summer reading list and keep up with their writing journal, kids are known to have a backslide on the things they've learned in what researchers call Summer Learning Loss. So while the kids have had a much-deserved break—so has their developing brain. Time to start exercising that muscle again!
10. This "Momcierge" is off the clock. Once they're back to school, you can stop being their glorified snack servant. Seriously, how many snacks can a person eat in a day? Your pantries and bank account have never seemed so bare by the time they're done with it. If you think about it that way, packing just one little lunch every day doesn't seem so bad.
11. It's independence day. As parents, we always want to take care of our children and be there for them. Sometimes that makes it easy to slide into doing TOO much for them. Going to school helps them foster the independence that they need to help them grow up and take on the world alone. Plus, fostering independence has also been proven to help kids also care for kids around them. It's a great foundation for a bright future!
12. Teachers to the rescue. Oh, teachers, we’ve missed you so! Your intelligence, your support of our children, your seemingly never-ending patience. We all know teachers deserve way more than they get, and by the first day of school, we’ve never been more convinced. Thank you for all you do—here’s my kid!
13. Oh, the places they'll go! If you're one of the many moms sending your little one to preschool, pre-K or Kindergarten for the first time, the thought can be overwhelming, and even scary. They're nervous, you're nervous—it's a big change! It may seem sad kissing the younger at-home days behind, but these days are special too, and so many amazing things await them. So give them that big hug, wave them goodbye, and stand back and marvel at all the amazing things they'll do.
Once upon a time, I was one of the youngest employees at any given place I worked. A sweet little baby ready to change the world! Ugh, my goodness, someone go back and talk some sense into her. But I digress…
My point is, I’ve worked with a lot of mamas throughout the years. My career in nonprofit management means that I’ve worked with a lot of women because the nonprofit deck is stacked to be mostly female. And while it goes without saying these working mamas were absolute badasses, there was a lot I didn’t realize until I became a working mom myself.
I saw working moms come in flustered at 8 a.m. and didn’t realize the battles they’d already fought that day to get kids fed, dressed, and off to school on time.
I watched working moms hang up silly artwork their kids made without realizing that a little human at home had said, “I made this for your office mama,” and that it was actually the most beautiful piece of art they’d ever seen.
I watched working moms go to meetings that could’ve been handled in an email, work through projects that coworkers were taking way too long on, and read through intolerable memos with the grace and patience of a queen. They knew something I didn’t: Nothing that happens at the office is anywhere near as important as what happens in their life at home.
I watched working moms count down until 5 p.m. and race out the door like their pants were on fire. I had no idea they were just getting started on the second part of their day. No idea that they were analyzing if they were going to make it to daycare or aftercare on time before late pickup fees started. I didn’t realize they’d get in traffic and start calculating how long until they got there, how many minutes until they got home to make dinner, do homework, do the bath, and bedtime. I didn’t realize that drive might be the only alone time they’d have for the day and they’d have to be actively shutting off from work mode and into mommy mode.
I didn’t know that she’d feel guilty for wanting to have a career, for not caring about her career anymore, or for being fine where she was because a promotion could tip her rocking boat right over.
I watched working moms smile at me when I was impossibly rude and couldn’t bother to remember their kids’ names even though we worked together for years. I politely smiled at her cute little stories but didn’t realize how full her heart was from those special moments.
I didn’t realize that for working moms a ‘perk’ was getting to go to the bathroom alone with the door closed.
I watched working moms call (and later email and text) to say their kid was sick and they’d be out. And could I cover this? Or could someone call to reschedule that? I had no idea the guilt she’d wrestled with, how exhausted she was from being up all night, and sometimes how relieved she was to just be home for a day. Even if it meant cleaning up puke.
I invited working moms to parties my friends and I were hosting that started insanely late at night. I laughed along when they said they couldn’t come and told them they’d be missing out. I had no idea they weren’t.
I didn’t realize that a call from the school could send her into a panic and that most of those calls actually start with someone saying, ‘Your child is okay but…’ and then go on to explain any number of incidents that occurred she’ll have to deal with later.
I didn’t know that some days, work was a break from a hard night at home. And some days, work took her away from the best night at home.
I didn’t know that she had no idea how great she was doing. That most days she rocked work and went home and rocked motherhood. And that she wouldn’t ever think that. And she’d spend the night wondering how she could do better the next day.
Dana Nichols is a mama in Orlando where's she's raising Violet & Simon with her husband Reid. They are always on the hunt for the best donut and are obsessed with painting murals on the walls outside their house. Dana runs Momlando which aims to inspire and unite moms in Central Florida.
