I know my girls love Super Why, in fact they are addicted to anything with letters and numbers (hey, I don’t pick on your kids so leave mine alone). I know they are freaky kids but they are my freaky kids. Anyway you would have read my post on Super Why (read Meet Angela Santomero, creator of Super Why)but what you don’t know is my kids roleplay a lot. So...

I just needed a new laptop, the older one had a battery so fried that I was practically married to the outlet. People stared at me unbelievably, like I was an idiot, and asked why don’t I just buy one. Well I am one of those people who analyze the value first. I did not mind getting a new battery but was not so sure that something else would pack up. Anyway the...

So we had a lot of fun and I had many questions after the show. Here are a few: Ooooh I missed your show, can I watch a copy of it? Actually the show per-se is not live just the actual chat that is liev and uploads around it. So you can watch it anytime YOU want. Do I need a login for SnazL? Only if you want to join the chat. To watch you don’t need one. But I am...

[ CLICK HERE TO POST YOUR IDEAS BY SEPT 1st TO WIN $10,000 FOR A SCHOOL] I was at a party recently and friends asked me what do I do with stuff I get through blogging (from attending parties/events and reviews) and I replied I give it away. When the shell-shocked look faded some understanding of the concept set in that the power to make someone happy by giving is amazing....

So week 1 of Mommy Niri’s 1st Live Video show has been fun. Mommy Niri, along with 7 other bloggers, will continue to be Featured SnazL Bloggers for the next 7 weeks. This week I will be speaking School! So grab, or make, your best videos about anything school. How you feel about your child’s 1st day at school (or return), or what Back To School means in...

I am even nervous to announce it, but Mommy Niri will be at her first live show tonight at 9pm. It is pretty easy to write on the blog but vlogging (video blogging) is something scarily different. Especially if you are not used to have attention on you it might feel disconcerting. Anyway I hope that my readers, and now viewers will get past any glamor they may be expecting....

I was away on the long July 4th weekend (yes the same weekend I got my 1st speeding ticket for $200) I was thrilled to get an twitter message that the company has been trying to get hold of me for an iRobot blogging event. Truth be told, I listened to nothing of the finer details as I trusted that anything this company did would be in keeping with its tradition of super...

I was patting myself on the back for being the perfect father, taking care of the kids all by myself while mommy was at BlogHer Conference, until a certain balloon incident. As my confidence grew in handling the kids by myself, I (bravely) decided to accept a 5pm party. At the party my two little angels were anguished seeing another kid lose his helium balloon that got...

Well hold back on asking for a contraption for folding laundry or emptying the dishwasher, I don’t think Ford is equipped yet (but I guess it won’t hurt to ask, right?), but let us focus on cars. Wondering why on earth you should bother telling me? Well Mommy Niri got accepted into the Ford Ride and Drive Program at BlogHer and Ford would love to find out...

Siblings! They fight! Constantly! Over everything! Anyone who has more than child most likely suffers the same fate. No matter how you yell out “Share!”, “Who had it first?”, “Wait your turn!” or “Give it back!” it is practically useless as you have to repeat the same thing a little while later. When you receive a toy as...

TBS is aiming at bringing Saturday night back to the old family night by having family sitcom The Bill Engvall Show be part of the summer viewing. I am a big fan of sitcoms, while my husband not so. He can’t wrap his head around the automatic laughter while I need that dose of sitcom material to relax. Truth is I have not been keeping up with many (read any) sitcoms...

Well to not wreak a barrage of insults hurled at me for that somewhat sexist title, maybe I should say “Finally a way to get my husband to ask for directions.” I have wanted a GPS for ages and always was rebuked about it by hubby dearest for the cost and need. I could go on and list all the times we were lost either for the lack of clear directions or being...

BlogHer conferences are known for being drastically different to technology conferences in that there is a relaxed atmosphere of inclusion. Here everyone wants to make connection with everyone. Well if you think the conferences are fun, wait until you hear the big party line ups. Now companies strategically place themselves with parties to gain some publicity but one...

It had been a while since we had taken a vacation. When the days are not filled with running around 2 crazily active girls, or attending a million birthdays we are caught working. Well for the long July 4th weekend we decided to venture to New Jersey, a place we have many happy memories during our dating years. Also a friend was moving to Switzerland on a research program...

VOTING CLOSES ON JULY 15th!!! For what has seemed like an eternity the Nickelodeon voting has been going on. It seems like a distant memory when over 2.5 months I learned that Mommy Niri had been nominated for the Nickelodeon Parent’s Pick Award for Best Parenting Blog In Boston. In that time I have been asking (bombarding) my friends to support me, and they have....

It has been over 10 years since I have landed to this country. I knew nothing of the country and had never set foot in the USA before I moved here. Television was my only window to what America had to offer. I chose to come here, sadly, based on the fact that I knew no-one here and wanted an adventure. Although many commended the bravery in the move I knew it was based...

I cam across Brian during the focus with Hooked On Phonics. Being the only guy amongst the callers, he was the only one who did not need to introduce himself each time he spoke. I have always been intrigued when guys take strong parenting roles (as you would have read in my post, Meet Paul, A Stay At Home Dad and Children’s Museum Easton Celebrating Father’s...

This is the 2nd part in the Mommy Shower series. I hope you read all about our wonderful sponsors in the previous post. I decided to make the event as stress free as possible. It was held early so there were no kid sleeping or nap issues, and also to allow everyone to have afternoons free. I also thought allowing kids and hubbies (so they could take care of kids) to...

You would have heard me griping about my whole camera ordeal (if not then read more at my post on “And Then There Was Camera #3” ), and that got me thinking about what I want in a camera or more specifically (and easily) is what I don’t want. I am still trying to figure my way through the maze of choices and so far the options have been overwhelming....

CONTEST CLOSED, Winner: Cynthia C !!! Baby Smarts by Jackie Silberg is a book about developmental baby games. It’s a perfect gift for soon to be parents as they wait for the arrival of their baby. These stimulating games would be well received by both mommy and daddy (and the baby). Babies are so cute that parents can play with them all day. However, Baby Smarts can...

I am a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) and I blog. My darling husband is not fond of expensive gifts and our budget can’t quite afford it so I decided to surprise him with writing a Father’s Day post on him. Knowing my hubby he may just be a tad embarrassed by this gesture, but I am hoping he overcomes it enough to like it. So to the man who is the father of my two...

That’s 3 times this week. Yes, 3 times that I was ready to take a perfect shot and my camera died on me. I guess I should be glad it was just batteries with this camera. My camera woes did not begin just here. My saga started around 6 or more years ago when I got the first digital camera (aka camera #1 an Olympus) which was fine until Baby #1 came along. Don’t...

Childhood Obesity is the nation’s leading health problem.  Well, I guess that is not news as we have known this for years. However , only now  we are seeing some significant movement – The American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation have formed  The Alliance for a Healthier Generation. It would be interesting to see how the big corporations,...

Charlene is a mom to a beautiful young daughter and she is one one of the most vibrant people I know. Besides her work as a social worker and being dedicated mom, Charlene is an active participant on mommy groups too. If that was not enough to keep her plate full, she is now a  distributor of Shaklee (we will explore this part of Charlene in a separate post later down...

Last week Mommy Niri was lucky to be invited along with a few other mom bloggers to hear what advice Andrea Astrachan,  Consumer Advisor for Stop And Shop, had to offer to moms as they navigate their way down the aisles. As the economy hits everyone’s wallet the shopping still continues but habits have been changing. In ensuring the choices just don’t go...

Moms are faced with several issues including Stay at Home Moms, Keeping Sparkly Homes, and Pregnant Women. Google for all its greatness hasn’t been all that helpful for parenting information. In comes comes Mamapedia – enables you to search answers for your most pressing questions, such as potty training, childhood crushes, and summer camps, to get...

These days my older darling seems to feel the name we have bestowed upon her as something so distasteful that she seethingly reminds us not to call her by it. Yes, you may have read many times of my post on my girls’ love for Dora the explorer (read Dora gets Mommy Niri’s Vote or Yes, I washed that shirt for more insight) but nothing prepared me for the scene...

The Mommy Niri Friday 5 Series, continues this Friday and yes I am late again but officially it is still Friday so no rules broken (yet). This Friday I wanted to take special note of many things that have been around for a while but have only garnered attention since I became a mom. Forgive the picture reuse, as my camera decided to crash on Mother’s Day! So here...

It is with much excitement that I would like to announce that Sabi Games will be sponsoring Mommy Niri to the BlogHer 2009 conference in Chicago.  I have been skeptical about accepting any sponsorships or advertising as it was extremely important that the affiliation I held with any company be one I could hold with pride. During a product review process a few months...

You can Vote daily! How wonderful it was to get an email on Friday to let me know that Mommy Niri has been nominated for a Nickelodeon’s Parent’s Pick Award in the Best Local Blog section. The surprise soon subsided and then I went on in disbelief to see if it was some prank. I mean Mommy Niri is some little player in this blogging space so it was a little...

As part of the Mommy Niri Friday 5 Series, I am going to focus on again on Mother’s Day. Yes, I know I covered it last week in what not to do for Mother’s Day, but I decided to help you out this. Since I know several of you are last minute guys (ahem, honey I hope you are reading this too) I hope this will help you out. 1.      Take the kids out and...

The first National Mom’s Nite Out is scheduled for May 7th, 2009 and includes special events, virtual communal celebrations and the common goal of celebrating motherhood. More than 200 mom bloggers, 50 mom websites, and a dozen companies have committed to giving Moms a well-deserved night off. “Our goal in hosting National Mom’s Nite Out is to unite Moms...

As part of the Mommy Niri Friday 5 Series, I am going to focus on Mother’s Day. Yes, I know it is a week away but that is enough time to get the hints going to hubby dear. Better yet, use the Share This option at the bottom of this page and send him a copy. As a note I will be celebrating Mother’s Day this entire month with fabulous giveaways and articles,...

This Mother’s Day you can help the homeless and make your mother proud. For $25 donation a hand-written card will be sent as a thank you to your mom. What a wonderful feeling to know that the proceeds from this program benefit the Women’s Lunch Place. The Women’s Lunch Place has been serving Boston’s poor and homeless women for more than 25 years...

It is not often you come across companies that make you proud to the bone. Reading is such a fundamental core to education and when a company makes it their business to support this you can’t help but take notice. After years of promoting phonics a company becomes entrenched in being the benchmark for reading. Of course you know who I mean, Hooked On Phonics. Now...

As part of my tribute to the April dedication to Autism, here is my 2nd article in the feature. Make sure you read the post on the AMC and Autism. Here we explore Children Succeed, an online company offering games that help strengthen social and communication skills for children on the Autism spectrum. I spoke to Joan Nash who began this company in November 2008, but...

My (poor) husband was getting about his business showering while my little daughter Miss B and I were brushing our teeth (yes we have just one bathroom, with 2 little girls) and hubby dearest began bemoaning his lack of privacy. I was not sure whether to laugh at him or scream at him. I did neither as I was too shocked by his ludicrous request. Privacy? Why, I have not...

As part of the Mommy Niri Friday 5 Series, this week I let you in on my parenting wishes. Since I needed to limit it to 5 to be eligible I found it extremely difficult since we all know our wishes can be endless, but here goes 1.      A drive-thru for essentials like milk, bread and cheese, etc. How often have you dreaded that supermarket visit, even though you...

We had just finished a quick jaunt to an Easter Event (read more on that whole fiasco at “Where Is My Baby?”) when we decided to stop by Whole Foods since it was right next door. What I love most about the store is the sampling of fruits and other goodies. Anyway my honey, who is not a cheese (or a chocolate, or ice-cream) person (I know go figure but I have...

It had already been a tough week (or maybe weeks) when we ventured out for some Easter fun. Having already been saddled with Bronchitis the week before and having both (yes, you read right BOTH) girls get diagnosed with ear infections meant for a great start to a weekend. We opted out of our fancier plans for the day since we figured our plate was already full, albeit...

I have been cheating for a while now. Yes, every night I do it, and every night I hope to get away with it. As long as I don’t get caught, I could go on forever. Don’t get me wrong, I have noble intentions. Cheating helps get my kid in bed, ahem, faster. How, you say? Well we have been playing board games every night just after storybook time and I cheat...

Do you dread getting out of the car as you pull up into the driveway at school to pick up your preschooler? Are you wondering if you can sneak off with your kid in arm without the teacher on your back? Do you avoid eye contact with the teacher in the hope of no conversation? Does your heart sink as your ears perk up when you hear a familiar voice with those dreaded words...

In advance I would like to apologize to all those poor people in my daughter’s gymnastics’ class for having to see the same shirt on her every single week. Trust me, I am even more sick of seeing that favorite shirt than you. It is clean, I swear, though waiting for it to get out of the dryer has been met with more “Is it done yet?” questions than...

It was with utter shock that I read that Dora is going to get a makeover this fall. What?  Surprised are you? So was I. I read with disgust what that change would entail.  Mattel and Nickelodeon have announced that they allow “Dora to Grow Up” this fall. Now our beloved adventure girl will become a fashionista. It makes me sick. When I was a Big Sister (part...

I have been meaning to straighten up the girls’ bookshelf for the past few months (ok, it has been a tad longer than that) but the timing never seemed right (plus those books were going nowhere anyway). Like any procrastinator I have been just piling on the books and the bookshelf has become an eyesore. You would have thought that having the books tumble out each...

I have heard it said several times about ensuring that when we introduce food to babies to keep our personal biases out of the radar. This is so that we do not feed kids our prejudices, literally. Did I listen to that bit of smart advice? No, of course not. Was it because I thought I knew better? No. The truth was I did not have the courage (or stomach) to do it. Like...

There’s a buzz. Have you heard? Mommy Niri has some amazing news. Have you heard? There’s something brewing. Have you heard? SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Have You Heard?", url: "http://www.mommyniri.com/2009/02/have-you-heard/" });

I needed to take my little one in for a checkup at the doctor and decided to allow her older sibling to have a “playdate”, sans mommy, with my neighbor’s kid. Interruption in thought here: When you are you a mommy to two kids, and at any point in time have just one with you, it feels like a mommy break. As much as a visit to a doctor is not an exciting...

While busy writing my resolutions at Mommy Niri, I realized that the whole mommy guilt issue deserved a whole topic of its own. Along with pressures we subject ourselves too, this guilt is by far the most personal. Trying at best to not give voice to most of our fears, as if once spoken they will morph in a life of their own. Already they play at the back of our minds...

If you are an old hat (or a smarter new hat) at parenting you realize that telling your kid, until you are blue in the face, about sharing that toy just does not sink in. Of course that will not stop us from saying it, or getting frustrated when it is obviously ignored. Yes there are hundreds of classes that will allow your child to “mingle” with other...

In a world that clearly has (different) expectations of boys and girls we are constantly bombarded by what is appropriate and what is not. The man interviewing a woman and thinking “I wonder if she can work late nights or has kid issues” did not just pick up those notions. How we are taught (by accident or intentional) from childhood certainly shapes the outlook we...