Baby Won’t Take Off Her Ballet Shoes!

I don’t know what it is but my baby won’t take off her ballet shoes. At age four, it’s hard to make her listen to me about clothes anyway. Now it’s the ballet shoes!

When I was growing up, most of my friends gloated about having started ballet when they were three years old. So when Maya started pre-school at 2.5, I knew it was also time for ballet. For the past 18 months, she’s been going to bi-weekly ballet classes. What started out as fun dance and music sessions is slowly turning into a more serious undertaking. “Miss Elizabeth this, Miss Elizabeth that” and many home sessions of plies and sways and chasses.

As a working mom, I can barely keep up with the various little needs of preschool so luckily I can buy everything ballet online! Make sure to check out the Danskin web site for most of your dance needs for little girls. From shoes to tights to leotards, you’ll find it on Danskin along with great service. For shoes, we chose Capezios from Zappos because you never know which shoe will fit best and you can always send them back free of charge.

Desperately Seeking Soft Hair for Baby

My daughter’s hair is a lot longer than mine. In fact, if it doesn’t get trimmed every couple of months, it will reach her ankles within the year. And she’s not even four yet. OK, maybe I’m exaggerrating.

The truth is I battled coarse, thick hair all my life. Some would say it’s a blessing to have such thick hair. I didn’t think so until much later in life when I finally discovered leave-in conditioners and softening treatments. So for most of my childhood, I walked around with a bird’s nest on my head.

Needless to say, when my daughter was born with a four-inch mohawk, I wasn’t surprised. When she turned a year old, she got her first haircut and battling her frizzies has been a full-time job of mine ever since.

After the early baby days, we got hooked on California Baby‘s Calming shampoo and conditioner. As soon as I saw the bottle at Whole Foods I was hooked because the little girl looked just like my daughter. I couldn’t believe it!

To this day, Maya thinks the photo on the bottle is a picture of herself. The resemblance is uncanny. Soon after, we also discovered the detangler, which put an end to hairbrush drama mutually endured daily.

Another favorite bed-head solution is Noodle & Boo‘s conditioning hair polish. This newcomer to the market is from a product line started by a mom whose sons suffered from extremely sensitive skin and were prone to eczema. I can relate, as we also had bouts of extremely dry skin with Maya and that’s what led me to California Baby in the first place.

I don’t know if it’s the sweet smelling spray or the gorgeous packaging but I think we may just have a new must-have in the house. Both product lines are available for sale online and worth every penny!

Chalk it up: Chalkboard books for all ages

These chalkbooks are brilliant! We only have the Animal Friends but can only guess that the Numbers, Colors and Opposites editions are probably as charming.

My daughter was only about two when I got this for her and she’s as interested in it two years later. It’s educational, tactile and fun — and most importantly, doesn’t make a big mess the way chalk activities usually do.

In our version, each page features a different animal. On the left hand page, your child can draw free hand, perfect for little ones. On the right side, she can practice her letters.

At $12.95 a book, it’s another smart toy that’s durable and will last a long time! Click here to buy.