Bunch Family

What we’re reading today:

1. Is eliminating all chemicals from the house the new baby-proofing?

2. Confessions of a peanut allergy mom.

3. Working moms and working pregnant moms are nothing new, but what about when “working” means filming in Antarctica and in male-dominated profession?

4. Hooray for nice weather! Yes, we love skating and tobogganing and snowfort-making and other fine winter activities, but it’s so much easier to run around without a jacket. So, how much exercise does your kid really need anyway?

5. Because apparently we can’t get enough of kids singing Adele,  here’s a 2-year-old covering “Someone Like You”

Photo by Chevysmom via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. Jan Berenstein, of Bears fame, has died.  One Slate writer is pleased that there will no more Berenstein Bears books, but good riddance is a bit much, isn’t it?

2. How do you get your kids to listen to socially conscious music? Put some K’Naan on. Also, keep them away from Chris Brown’s music, but we don’t know why the kielburgers aren’t still listening to the Beastie Boys.

3. A new study shows that kids who play active video games (Wii Sports, dancing games) don’t get any more exercise than kids playing inactive games. 

4. At what age should kids be identified as “gifted”?

5. Construction paper isn’t known for being the coolest of craft supplies, but this stop-motion music video for a new Josh Ritter song proves otherwise. Also, if you’re not listening to Josh Ritter, this is a good opportunity to start. He’s awesome.
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What we’re reading today:

1. Those pesky competitive moms! What’s one mom to do when her friend yells at her kid’s coach and other parents? Sister needs to take a time out!

2. The Onion published an article telling you you’re a bad parent and whatever you’re doing, you’re definitely screwing up your kids. It’s the Onion, but man did this story catch on.

3. Grownups get more exercise when they live in urban areas, walking to work and the grocery store and such, but it’s the opposite for kids. Do your kids have easy access to running around areas? We can think of at least a few downtown kids who manage to find a suitable road hockey zone on weeknights.

4. Is the work-life balance thing a myth?

5. Yeah, we’re loving basically any Jason Segel interview these days. If only Phineas and Ferb had let him talk about his Muppet purism.  Read more...

What we’re reading today:

1. Kids who play at the park sans parents get more exercise.

2. Easy-Bake Oven, the iconic kids toy that lets you cook food by the heat of a light bulb, went for an extreme makeover. (No more light bulbs) Jezebel’s right: it looks like it’s from The Jetsons.

3. It’s been far too long since we’ve had some good placenta talk up in here. One mom tells you why you should eat it.

4. Programming for kids. It’s a thing.

5. Ghostbusters is coming back to theatres for Halloween. I know. I know. So excited.

Photo by Hartford Family, via Flickr

What we’re reading today:

1. SpongeBob SquarePants! He lives in a pineapple under the sea! SpongeBob SquarePants! He could be giving you ADHD! OK, not quite, but one study seems to think that watching SpongeBob has an effect on kids’ attention spans and ability to stay on task. (The study pitted SpongeBob against Caillou and colouring)

2. Can you run with your kids? How far should they go?

3. Need a good cry this morning? Look no further.

4. “From the time we gain a brother or sister, they can be both our fiercest competitors and closest confidantes.” Siblings are uber-important; they’re some of the most important relationships of a person’s life. So take a minute or two to observe your kids playing together and enjoy.

5. Dog and baby try to eat some bubbles.

Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr  Read more...

We’ve all heard the story: Childhood obesity is on the rise, kids play too many video games, watch too much television and don’t play outside nearly enough. It’s difficult to make sure kids get enough exercise in a world where it’s just not as easy to just say: “Go outside and play”. The YMCA wants to help us come up with ways to get active with our kids, and that’s part of what Healthy Kids Day is about. Although Healthy Kids Day dates for Canada have not yet been announced (last year it was June 1), Bunch readers in the US can take part in events tomorrow, April 18th,  at over 1,750 Ys across the country. Check out this page to search for your local participating Y by zip code and have fun!