Welcome to the Red Tricycle blog. Not everything fits in our bi-weekly newsletters, so here you'll find additional tidbits about events, restaurants, products, organizations and local news around town as it relates to kids and parenting.

It's all part of our continuing effort here at RT to make your job as a parent easier and more fun. Stay tuned...

Whether you’re looking forward to elbowing your way through an all-you-can eat buffet (hey, it’s your day after all), or long to explore healthier options, make the most of May 11 by reading up on the following Mom’s Day outings. We divided our picks (many of which came from RT readers) into easy-to-use categories (Chic Chow, Active Endeavors, Spa Ahh and Retail Therapy). Naturally, our favorite is the spa section, because nothing can top some well-deserved down time. Relish it while you can. Read more »

When the days get longer, we often start jonesing for the open road. We don’t want to nest indoors anymore; we want to spread our wings. However, when there’s family involved, that spontaneous Thelma & Louise-style road trip is definitely out of the question (especially given the movie’s ending).

A quick day trip in the car is what’s most practical and fun for kids. So, bust out those sing-a-long CDs and a plethora of snacks and get ready to feel the wind in your hair. We’ve spotlighted three trips to do right now and listed some possibilities for later. Read more »

Happy Earth Day! Here are a few tips on fun, local ways you can make the world a little greener.

TRADE IN your toxin-laden bottle of nail polish and replace it with a fresh bottle of gently formulated Julep Nail Vernis (no formaldehyde, toluene or dibutyl phthalate). Schedule any manicure or pedicure appointment between now and April 21st at Julep Nail Salon and they will swap out your polish with purchase of any nail treatment (one per visit).

RECYCLE when you buy gently-used clothes, toys and books on sale this weekend at the massive Greenwood Community Garage Sale or the Woodinville Friends of the Library Used Book Sale.

GIVE the gift of a beautiful, handcrafted wooden airplane, choo choo train or baby rattle, colored with natural vegetable dyes, from Kirkland toymaker Earthentree.

BROWSE Cooler Picks, a selection of smart, eco-friendly shopping choices on everything from trash bags to handbags, light bulbs to lipstick found on the Coolerchoices website from Monroe-based mama Stashka Lepera.

ATTEND the Green Power Baby Shower on May 3 to find inspiration from Dr. Alan Greene, pediatric expert and author of Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care. Also, stop by the expo to shop for local earth-friendly products and services.

Hey all, a quick shout out to Seattle Magazine. The December “Best of” issue is on newsstands now and we are totally psyched to announce that Red Tricycle has been named Best Parenting Web Resource!! Woo Hoo! Click here to read the full article.

One thing I’ve always found hard as a parent who doesn’t regularly bottle feed is how/when to introduce the bottle. The pediatrician recommendation is 3-4 weeks, but honestly I was lazy and didn’t like pumping unless absolutely necessary. I did give her a few bottles and sometimes it worked and other times it didn’t at all. Read more »

Gigi Blanket

Have a Linus-wannabe?  This portable, small blanket is all-the-rage in the under 5 set (or, 30 if you’re my sister-in-law who will personally kill me for revealing that!).  The “blanki” that Gigi makes is so that kids don’t have to drag a large blanket around with them but still have their security blanket with them.  This blanket was recently included in a gift basket for Julia Robert’s 3^rd child, Henry, in June (off topic here, but how do I sign up for a gift basket upon delivery that includes such divine things as these?).  Mine is teal satin on one side and brown, bumpy, soft fabric on the other.  My daughters both have a stash of these blankets (a few different brands) and my 2.5 year old has been using them as doll blankets lately during her imaginative playtime.  The price of these is really reasonable for how nice they are.  You can find others which are in the same quality category for a lot more!  Gigi also offers “burpis” (fancy burp cloths) and “toothis” (for the child to put a lost tooth into for easy finding by the tooth fairy).

http://www.thegigiblanki.com/

Seriously, I thought I would go bankrupt pre-children with my shoe addiction but that was nothing compared to having two daughters, a niece and two nephews to shop for! I love shoes. I also happen to love comfort so no pointy-toed-tootsie-torture-chambers for my kiddos or me. I’m always on the lookout for adorable and comfy shoes and it seems there is no shortage…hence my empty pocketbook and my full shoe closet…

Crocs:

So, you’ve probably been living in the woods searching for Sasquatch if you haven’t seen these brightly colored shoes adorning the feet of Seattle kids (and their parents). If that’s the case, spend five minutes at the University Village play area and you’ll know what I’m talking about. I actually had to wait at the Bellevue Square Nordstrom kids department for quite a while since EVERY single person in there was buying crocs for their kids/grandkids! Regardless, Crocs are my new best friend. I love them for myself and my 2 year old (who also thinks they’re the coolest shoes ever made). Other than how she pronounces them (I’ll leave that up to your imaginations but remove the “R”) they’re the ideal shoes. They eliminate ONE whiney voice episode per day since she can put them on and take them off easily and in fact loves to declare quite loudly “I DO IT!” Occasionally she puts them on the wrong feet but we’re working on teaching her which foot is which by the specific jibbit (the little do-dads that adorn the top of them and declare a love for Mickey Mouse or soccer or jewels) in it (i.e. the pink ice cream cone is on the LEFT foot).
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