Life in the Mom Lane

Getting Toddlers To Clean Up

Learning how to clean up is vital to mommy's sanity.

Babies love to unpack things. I fold the laundry, neatly placing each person's pile of clothes into the laundry basket, turn around to grab some water and by the time I turn back my smiling daughter has thrown half the contents onto the floor and is poised to throw the rest. Thanks little one! This little game of taking things out of a box, off a shelf or down from anything above is vital to a baby's development, but it also creates one heck of a mess. In our house, the DVDs, that we sometimes buy from CVS, Walgreens and T.J. Maxx, are the biggest mess from this unpacking fun. It seems almost impossible to keep the living room clean because as soon as I start to put the DVDs back, she's taken them out again. There are some things; however…

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Great Escape

The Rec Dept. Helps You Escape

To the casinos and the high-powered air conditioning.

Sometimes the only way to beat this kind of sweltering summer heat is to run away. Luckily for Wilmington residents, the Recreation Department offers some amazing trips and ticket discounts to places like Foxwoods Casino. Every month the Rec Department offers you a chance to visit Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut for a discounted price. For $25 you get a trip on the bus down to Connecticut, plus casino incentives. Foxwoods has all kinds of gambling options from $0.01 slot machines, smoke-free rooms, high-roller tables, video gambling machines like video poker, and of course black jack and roulette. At the casino you will also find delicious dining options and events like comedian shows. The bus leaves at 7 a.m. and comes back by 6:30 p.m. …

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Life in the Mom Lane

Day Cares For Little Ones

There are many great options in Wilmington.

The older my daughter gets, the more I am fully convinced she is a complete and total extrovert. She brightens up the minute people of any age are around and seems to progress quicker the more she is around other people. For this reason, and because I need a break too, I've decided we are going to enroll her part-time in a day care program. Just a few hours a day will give her the child-to-child interaction she craves and will allow me to get out of the house more often--alone. With home daycares and daycare facilities all around Wilmington, the choices are plentiful. Home daycares are just what they sound like, daycares run out of someone's home. Licensed daycares and background checks are a must when considering this option for me. …

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Life in the Mom Lane

Mother's Day Surprise

Sooner than I planned.

For my first Mother's Day I was resigned to the fact that my husband would be out of town on a work trip, at least my father would be in town to cook for me and cheer me up.  Little did I know I would need more cheering up than I had originally thought. Once my father was here, we called As Good As It Gets to book a last-minute  brunch reservation, however we were too late to score one. No matter, my daddy cooked me a wonderful fresh lobster pasta dish and we took my daughter to the Children's Museum of Boston where there was hardly anyone around. It was a pretty good day and I felt appreciated, but nothing could have prepared me for the surprise I got that morning. Doing the math I realized I had missed a very important event last month. …

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Great Escape

Art Therapy

Use your creativity to release stress.

When I was pregnant with my little girl I was in need of a creative stress-relief after I wasn't able to hit the gym anymore. I signed up for art classes and was amazed at the relaxing and therapeutic effects. My class was a drawing class, but any type of art class could work I'm sure. Not only do you get to channel your creative energy, you get to meet new people (or sign up with some friends) and get out of the house at least weekly for a little "me-time." Sign up for classes at Shady Lane Art Studios, who offer everything from painting to sculpture, or with the Wilmington Arts Council, who offer mostly painting classes.

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Life in the Mom Lane

The Age Factor in Play

Be safe but not too neurotic.

Last Friday was the first time I hosted a playgroup at my own house with the local mommy group, Middlesex Mommas. My daughter and I frequently visit the nearby libraries for playgroups and we have a membership at Gymboree in a nearby town, so having a playgroup at our house would be no problem...I thought. The Mommas are always a breath of fresh air for me to hang out with and I love their children; however, I don't think my daughter at 9 months was ready for the chaos two-year-olds and above bring with them. After only 40 minutes of the other children playing with her toys, knocking over bits of furniture and screaming, my daughter started to freak out. Within 90 minutes she was full-blown crying. She was tired and needed a nap soon-after…

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Life in the Mom Lane

Teething, Another Cruel Joke

Don't tell me you had it easy, please!

As previously mentioned, my almost-eight-month-old daughter is teething. For some mothers, this is an extremely unpleasant time in their and their child’s life. For others, it’s a cause to brag about how your daughter’s cheeks just turned a bit red and then voila! the next day there were two bottom teeth. If you are a mother like the latter, don’t talk to me right now. I got up every hour for the last eight nights in a row to nurse my daughter (because it’s the only thing that would stop her from screaming for hours on end) on totally sore and empty ta-tas—and I had just started weaning her off them! I am tired. So is my husband who gets up with her at 4:30 a.m. and so is my daughter for that matter. The last thing any of us want to hear …

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Lisa Spinelli

9:38 pm on Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I never saw this comment but just have to say I'm a bit scared now of age 3! haha   more ›

Local Band Rocks for Toys for Tots

All proceeds from Christmas CD are donated to Toys for Tots program.

MASS is a band of many faces. They've tackled metal, rock, and ballads. They've toured around the country and have been under quite a few labels. This month, they're adding Christmas music to their repertoire, and Toys for Tots is benefiting from the decision. The album contains two songs and costs $4.99. All of the proceeds will be donated to Toys for Tots, and so far it's been very successful. The disc sold over 400 copies in just two weeks. Included on the album are covers of "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Grown Up Christmas List." All four band-members recorded this version of "Jingle Bell Rock," which takes the classic song and gives it a little extra MASS' edge. Lead Vocalist Louis D'Augusta, a Wilmington-resident, tackled the second track…

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Star Magazine Enters its Sixth Year

The long-running program at the library held its last meeting for 2010 yesterday.

Could your child be the next Hemingway? What about the next Dr. Seuss? To help nurture your child's love of writing and drawing, the library offers a program every month called "Star Magazine." Approaching its sixth year, Star Magazine had its first issue in January 2005. The quarterly magazine is entirely made by and for children so it gives a real sense of pride in the contributors. The idea came to Children Room librarian Susan MacDonald after reading an article in another children's magazine. "I guess it was my idea! Not a new one, though," said MacDonald. "I read a magazine article in a kid's magazine about making own your own "zine," and I thought 'we can do that!'" Children ages 8 and up are encouraged to come to the meeting every …

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Toys for Tots Thanks Wilmington

Wilmington receives award for extensive participation.

You've probably seen the drop-boxes at businesses around Wilmington. Toys for Tots is a hugely successful program run by the Marine Corps Reserve. They've been providing needy children with toys since 1947, and Wilmington is very involved. Board of Selectmen Chairman Louis Cimaglia accepted a Commander's Award on behalf of Wilmington for the town's participation in the program at the November 22 Board of Selectmen meeting. Wilmington has over 40 drop-boxes around town, including in the industrial parks. The town allows boxes at schools and at town hall. The award was presented by Art Enos, the Middlesex County regional Marine coordinator, and Frank West, the Toys for Tots area coordinator with his wife Karen West. The Wests are the …

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