At the beginning of 2009 I wanted to kick off something I felt would stick too. I had not done reviews etc before and although I wanted to embark on it in 2009 I felt a personal post like this would keep me on track. Hubby felt it would be a tall order, and I felt that was exactly what I needed. Along the way I quivered and sometimes just felt I would never to keep to...

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Chef Rachel Klein I had given up eating gourmet meals with my sweetheart a while ago. If we ever did get a babysitter (as rare as that blue moon) the meter running would sure to be an incentive to gobble and go. I had resigned myself to either eating at those places with friends, forking out the big bucks for a sitter or just be content with a lifetime of Chuck-E-Cheese...

Ok, so I am late. So what? I know you were too busy munching cookies and drinking egg-nog to really notice. Did you notice? Anyway I decided to take a small hiatus from blogging to actually enjoy my family.  This is the final edition of the Friday 5 series for 2009 so I have been reflecting on the year I wanted to share it with you. I have learned: When tough times...

While at the Aiming Low party (still praying for Anissa) I got to meet the team from HP and the awesome HP Web Printer (HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web – the world’s first web-connected printer to be exact). Still confused? Hear what my 4 year old girl has to say: I caught a glimpse at Type A Mom conference but did not get to test drive it. When the...

I really wanted to feature a craft for December but with all the holiday specials (yeah those 12 days of giveaways are really time cruncher) I almost gave up hope that was ever going to happen. I was at the Build A Bear screening of Holly And Hal at the home of Stampin Up wonder woman Tami and I was dazzled. As I looked around at her crafts I was so inspired I wanted...

The frenzy that festivities bring is sure to make even the most stable of hands quiver as they tackle making each holiday the best ever. The toil of dealing with traditions: do we keep the old or build them new? It is almost a year since the Friday 5 series started so make sure you catch up on older ones if you enjoyed this one. Make it perfect or make it simple? Build...

I came across BookDads while working with Hooked On Phonics and I have always been impressed with their quality of their content. It was exactly why I reached out with Steven and Brian to share what they considered their favorites for the season. The holidays are a very busy time for the Book Dads family and our multicultural, transracial, adoptive household.  In...

CONTEST CLOSED!! Congratulations Rondah! I know what you are thinking, enough with stuff for the kiddos already. I think my brain has been so programmed for the past 4 years to put the kids first that I have neglected mommy pampering. Well, that is going to be rectified. Right here. Right now. What is the ultimate treat for a mom, with the assurance that you can’t...

I attended a Build-A-Bear screening party hosted by local Stampin’ Up representative Tami. Not being very crafy, who am I kidding I am not craft AT ALL, I was worried I would be out of my element. I was the only blogger (who was chosen to feature the event) amongst some serious crafters. We started out watching the Holly And Hal the movie from the Build A Bear guys....

So many exciting things have happened recently that I have missed sharing them with you. Now that the conference dust has settled I will try to play catch up. While at Blogalicious Maria Bailey, a woman I highly respect and was thrilled to meet at Type A Mom conference, interviewed me on MomTv. Photo by Carol Cain, NYCityMama.com

CONTEST IS CLOSED! Congratulations Kamani! Disney on Ice Hits Boston and what better time than during the holiday season.  The stop at Boston will be short so you may want to reserve your seat as soon as possible. Disney on Ice presents 100 Years of Magic: Join the celebration as 65 of Disney’s unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney...

CONTEST CLOSED!! Congratulations Cristi I love dolls. I do. I had never seen a doll of color except for a Barbie while I toured India. Actually I lie. That was a white doll just using a sari. I think since then there have been a few dolls of color out there since then. I have not been pleased with the many that I have seen. Call me a prude but many are just plain a mixture...

Ok, stop it, it can’t be just me! I mean really I know you all looove Twitter as much as I do. Well in honor of my favorite tool I dedicate this week’s Friday 5 in Twitter’s name. I just read a Seth Godin post that may suggest I take a break from it though but for now a tribute is in order. When you see a twitter party on it is absolutely addictive...

Beth, from Role Mommy, was here in Boston recently on her See Mom Run book tour (get the book, snippets of stores but oodles of fun). She took a video off all mom’s harried moments along the way and I wanted to share mine with you guys. First I wanted to share what she wrote about me. I simply felt awed at what she wrote. “We then caught up with Mommy Niri...

If you read my blog regularly you would know that I have 2 little girls and that would have led many to assume that we are a home filled with pink princesses. Actually nothing is further from the truth. But maybe that tide is about to turn. I have always been adamant about women thinking that they are more than a sidekick or someone needing to be rescued. I have tried...

CONTEST CLOSED! Congratulations Jen! What do you get for the person who has everything? Seriously can’t go cheap right? No use wasting money on something expensive since they may have 10 stacked away in the closet. I guess you could try hand-made but with hand-made it is always a toss up whether it will be a success or not. For me I like to be careful who enjoys...

It would be difficult to have images of the holidays without them including a crazed frenzy. Stress seems synonymous with the season so I thought I would ask Christine Hohlbaum, the author of the Power Of Slow for some ideas to help us through. I know Christine from way back when I reviewed one of my favorite books “SAHM: I am” and I knew she would be perfect...

Well, maybe that should be Boston, we have a job. Or rather, Boston we made a job. Umm, forget it, they don’t sound as nice as my heading right? Hubby has been totally against me making a hullabaloo about this but I figured you were the guys to get me through this period so no way I am leaving you out. Today was the first day on the new exciting journey. 3 months...

I am normally cautious about news items I publish but this I thought was worthy enough. Imagine finding step-by-step instructions to over 85 common stains. Not only finding the solutions but also helps finding which products to use, right down to where to find them. Not only does it dish out advice but it can take it too. Your tips and tricks (however quirky they are)...

CONTEST CLOSED! Congratulations Kim! A little earlier in the year I had a chance to meet the team at Wicked Good Cookies. In fact they have a Create a Cookie Club House where kids can come in and make cookies so my kids got to be part of the cookie making process. we had fun and I learnt that these guys were a wonderful team baking up quality cookies. In fact at Type...

I know I am really late with this dose of the Friday 5 series, but I have been horridly sick or else nothing could make me miss writing this post. So you all know by now that we have been in the doggie house with regards to the job scene.  Well trust me if you hate reading about it, we hate living it. Always mean to keep it real here on MommyNiri.com. Anyway, there...

CONTEST CLOSED!!! Congratulations Julie! Skincare is one of the things I pay attention to. Well, make that used to pay attention to. I must admit I have let things get out of control. Not sure if it it my bad habit of drinking too little water (why, oh why does water not taste like Diet Coke?) or maybe the fact that I come from a tropical place and the Boston winters...

CONTEST CLOSED!!! Congratulations Ellen! I have 2 girls so to say that dolls are a part of our life would be highly redundant. As much as I am not a fan of many of the new toys out there (some of it may be because they don’t hold such a memory to me as dolls) dolls have hands down been my favorite toy ever. When I had kids and we had playdates and many of my friends...

My awesome friend Jyl from Twitter’s famous GNO (Girl’s Night Out) Twitter parties tagged me to a contest entry on Mom It Forward and I barely enter contests (too busy dishing my own out) . Anyway there are oodles of prizes to enter so go and check it out yourself (and enter too) but my reason to post this is it sounds fun to share these with you. TodaysMama...

CONTEST CLOSED!!! Congratulations Christopher! Macy’s new campaign “Believe” captures the essence of the season with giving being the focus. The new TV commercial features Queen Latifah to help get the message out. For every letter that Macy’s gets, they will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to a whopping $1 million. That seems so easy to something...