When Laurel was a baby, one of my rookie nursing mom mistakes was attending a wedding in a regular dress -- meaning, one with an inflexible neckline and a side zipper that basically made it impossible to nurse without undressing. So when I started looking for nursing-friendly dresses to wear to a couple of weddings this year, after being completely underwhelmed by the nursing cocktail dress market, I was thrilled to land on the perfect style -- a dress that looks fabulous, nursing or not.
Basically, the key to finding a non-nursing, nursing-friendly dress is a stretchy material with a crossover neckline that will open widely enough to nurse. And here is where Ralph Lauren became my best friend. In general, I love the simple elegance of Ralph Lauren's style, but after I started prowling department store websites, I noticed that he clearly gets the perfect combination that is stretchy jersey, a trim silhouette, and waistline shirring and has run with this concept in a variety of lengths, colors, and sometimes patterns.

I wanted something other than black so was thrilled to find these two Ralph Lauren dresses on separate occasions:

I wore the purple Elsie dress (left; $130 at Lord & Taylor) to a wedding in California. The dress has a flattering deep neckline that makes nursing very easy, and a fitted empire waist with flattering shirring. The color is fantastic; a nice change from the LBD. And I found the red Casimer dress (right; $134 at Lord & Taylor) a couple of weeks ago when I was prowling the new arrivals section and ordered it immediately to wear for my sister's wedding this past weekend. The dress is already sold out online but it would be worth checking local stores. Featuring the same shirring as the Elsie (though not empire style), this dress features a stand collar and also pretty shirring at the sleeves. The color is stunning!

These dresses are both gorgeous in color and flattering in fit; I really liked having long sleeves on both since I haven't exactly had a lot of time to tone my arms (short of hauling Violet), plus it's perfect for chillier temperatures. And though I'm thrilled that these dresses work for nursing (I nursed Violet at both wedding receptions -- once while wearing the purple and twice while wearing the red), I'm also glad that they'll carry through in my closet once I'm done nursing.

A couple of final comments: 1) I recommend wearing Spanx with these dresses, as they are clingy. 2) Keep your eyes peeled for sales and coupon codes if you are shopping department stores for these dresses (I recommend checking Macy's and other department stores -- they all seem to carry Ralph Lauren). Lord & Taylor sends a lot of coupons by e-mail and post and I did not pay full price for either of these items!

On Sunday night, I developed a pounding headache. Maybe it wasn't pounding so much as squeezing, viselike squeezing, perhaps powered by Bank of America. My sinuses had become enflamed ripe  peaches wishing to explode. My forehead demanded pressure, but it couldn't be finger pressure because finger pressure is not equal all over. I needed perfectly calibrated pressure that could apply counterpressure to the peaches. It took Advil, a cold compress and cold on the base of my neck and about forty minutes of writhing in pain on the couch for my headache to subside back to just ripe peaches, less enflamed.

I am not a headache person usually. My mom and sister get migraines, but I usually don't. So I was really scared of making that killer headache come back yesterday morning when I sat down at my laptop and the backlight was brighter than Venus. I tried to focus on the little black marks that seemed to be some sort of language and the ripe peaches that were my sinuses raised their arms to begin conducting a sonata of revenge across my forehead. I whimpered and my co-workers told me to LEAVE, and for the first time since I started working at BlogHer, I do believe, I took a sick day. A whole one.

I slept the twitching, back-spasming sleep of the very ill on and off all day on the couch. When the little angel got home, I explained that I was dying and we would be eating mac and cheese on the couch while watching Cake Boss instead of sitting up on the Wooden Chairs of Doom at the kitchen table. Anything made of wood hurt my body, I explained, and my ripe peaches were having none of that vertical business. She immediately understood.

We got through the bath part and the books part and then she fell asleep while I reclined on her bed and tried to get up the mental and physical energy to go back downstairs. Somehow I did, and Beloved came home, and I went to bed thinking it would be impossible for me to sleep through the night after all that sleeping, but I think I might take up sleeping as my new full-time job, for I am so good at it. I slept all night long and probably could go back to sleep right now if I wanted to, but I don't want to because there are these black and white marks on my computer that I can now identify as words. I think there might be something I'm supposed to do with the words, and I'm fine with that as long as they don't make my head hurt.

I do think today will be filled with blankets and pillows and other Soft Things, though, and fuck those wooden chairs.

Today, Lindsey recommends heading to The Velveteen Rabbit this upcoming weekend:

My 9-year-old daughter re-read the Velveteen Rabbit aloud to me and to her 6-year-old brother as we drove into Boston to attend the Boston Children's Theater (BCT) performance of the story. It was wonderful to revisit it, though it wasn't entirely necessary, because Burgess Clark's adaptation of The Velveteen Rabbit is faithful to the story, beautifully paced, and clear to understand for audiences of all ages. The Velveteen Rabbit kicks off the BCT's 60th season, which features four other shows. Two of those are world premieres, and taken together, the five shows represent a wide range of subject matter and style and appeal to children from pre-K through high school.
The BCT's production of The Velveteen Rabbit blends puppetry and live acting in a compelling, magical way. The puppets contribute to the general atmosphere of wonder that pervaded the theater. I've never been in a room with so many small children that was consistently quiet for two 30-minute segments (the play has one 10-minute intermission). My children were spellbound by the play, laughing out loud at certain moments and watching in silent awe at others. The play is just the right length for its young audience, and keeps moving while never losing the particular enchantment that makes the book so beloved.

After the show, the actors all came out on the stage and participated in an informal Q&A session. The questions focused on how the puppet toys (the Velveteen Rabbit, the Skin Horse, the boat, tin soldier, and toy lion) moved and on how the few special effects worked. The BCT's Executive Producer, Toby Schine, was an amiable and welcoming host who led the Q&A. My children, on the older side in the audience, were captivated by the fact that some of the actors were almost the same age as they are. The child actors were visibly confident and proud of their participation, and it was easy to see the ways in which the BCT contributes to self-esteem and feelings of mastery for children.

The Velveteen Rabbit is playing at the Boston Center for the Arts, at 539 Tremont Street, and there are three shows remaining (one on Saturday the 17th and two on Sunday the 18th). I highly recommend the show for children of all ages, but particularly those under 9 or 10. Tickets can be purchased on the BCT website or by calling the box office at 617-424-6634 x222.

Laurel and I have made a happy tradition of attending Disney on Ice together the last couple of winters, so I haven't yet had the heart to tell her that this month's DOI show, Treasure Trove (10 performances, December 26-29), includes characters from one of her favorite movies -- Tangled. However, while we will miss this run, you need not miss out! I'm a huge fan of experiential gifts (no organizing or clean up needed!) and DOI always proves fun and entertaining for all (especially the figure skating obsessed like myself!). And how cool is this? The kind folks at Feld Entertainment are offering a 4-pack of Disney on Ice tickets to share with one of you awesome readers. Here's how to enter to win:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Kristen!
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Rules*:

Simply e-mail contests@bostonmamas.com with "Disney on Ice" in the subject by noon EST, Wednesday, December 14, 2011.

Local entrants welcome.

One entry per person (please do not enter off multiple e-mail accounts).

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*One lucky winner (drawn randomly via Random.org) will receive four (4) tickets to the Disney on Ice Treasure Trove show in Boston on Monday, December 26, 2011 at 7pm. The winner will be notified directly via e-mail, then listed back at this post using first name only.

This week I've been unsubscribing to almost everything that comes into my inbox. A few things I've felt horribly guilty about unscubscribing from -- causes I care about, political updates -- and some I've had to ask myself why the hell I've been deleting this for the past five years instead of just getting off the list. 

I remind myself I know where to find these things if I need them.

I keep waiting for the inbox to die down, if I'll be able to tell I eliminated things or if other things will just grow back to replace them, things from which I can't unsubscribe. People from whom I can't unsubscribe. (Now wouldn't THAT be great?)

I wonder if it will make me feel unimportant or lonely if the inbox isn't flooded. I try to remember the last time this happened. It's not that I am so important, you see, but more that I conduct so much of my life online and get automatically added to new product updates! and great deals! And I've since realized that I don't have any money for great deals, anyway, and my delete finger is sore from all that blah, blah, blah. All I want to do is go read a book, watch a movie, be entertained. I don't want to sort through catalogs or newspapers or coupons or email. I want to sit down and know I will be interested in that which presents itself before me. 

I'm having a day in which everything and nothing is interesting. My concentration lags and my eye keeps going to the window. It's Friday afternoon, and I have a lot to do, and I just don't want to.

I want to hear a story instead.

I think the faster I get through this mound of work, the faster I will get to my story.

Unsubscribe.

Unsubscribe.

Unsubscribe.

Hello everyone! I hope you have a fantastic weekend ahead of you. I'm excited to get the house in holiday mode (Laurel reminded me today I need to make Violet a stocking...) and, most notably, to celebrate my sister Jenn's wedding tomorrow. Yay for love! Meanwhile, here are 11 fun weekend picks for your consideration:

1. Hooray for the SoWa holiday market! (Boston)

2. The Boston Gay Men's Chorus kicks of the first performance of their holiday concert. (Boston)
3. Cambridge dwellers can get their crafty gifts at the Holly Fair. (Cambridge)

4. Fine crafts likely will abound at Craftboston. (Boston)

5. Celebrate the ICA's 75th birthday. (Boston)

6. If you love ceramics, head to this holiday show and sale. (Allston)

7. Charles Dickens fans should head here. (Waltham)

8. North shore peeps can shop in their own backyard. (Peabody)

9. Rock out with Ben Rudnick & Friends. (Arlington)

10. There's always something fun going on at Arts at the Armory -- this weekend it's Snow Mall. (Somerville)

11. Ah, the orchestra of my youth -- Boston Youth Symphony -- is performing a free family holiday concert! (Boston)

Image credit: SoWa Holiday Market

Yesterday I covered the Virginia Tech shootings for BlogHer. I am intensely relieved it didn't escalate the way it did in 2007, but it was tough to sit and watch and wait for updates via Twitter from student journalists locked inside buildings. I'm hoping today the news is a little less exciting. Maybe a politician will say something stupid. 

Twitter just told me rockets hit Israel. (sigh)

But it's Friday and I've been crabby about the holidays (the wrapping! and the buying things for a million people! and the decorating! and the cards sitting in a huge pile that I haven't dealt with yet! and the gifts that need to be hand-constructed for second grade gift exchanges! and the homework!). I don't want to be crabby, don't mean to be crabby, and today I am going to choose not to be crabby. And we'll see how that goes.

Does that work for you? Can you decide to be in a certain mood? I will check back in later and see if it worked.

Today, Evadne shares a great game from a Newton-based company (also, check out below for details on a sale today and tomorrow!):

I recently played Gamewright's Take the Cake with my kids and was reminded what good wholesome fun board games are. Take the Cake's tag line describes the game perfectly: a sweet game of shakes, shapes & cupcakes. The idea behind the game is to decorate cupcake cards with colorful wooden shapes that sprinkle out of a shaker. If you complete the toppings on your turn, you collect the cupcake card -- that is, you take the cake. The player with the most cards wins the game.
As I played Take the Cake with my children, I marveled at its ingenuity. It's a simple game based on a delicious concept! My kids especially enjoyed shaking out the different shapes (white "tofu" cubes, stars, triangles, circles), and matching them to the patterns on the frosting did require my 3-year-old to verbally recognize colors & shapes. My 5-year old (who's all about "winning" these days) surprised me by strategizing over which cupcake card he could complete fastest with the shape he had in hand. And at the end of the game, even my 1-year-old was able to join in the fun as he meticulously put the wooden shapes back into the shaker. I recommend Take the Cake if you're looking for some good, old-fashioned family fun!

Editor's Note: Aptly timed, I just learned that Gamewright is having a sale today and tomorrow (10am - 4pm) at their warehouse -- 70 Bridge Street, Newton. Puzzles and games are marked up to 70% off! Cash only.

Today, Kate shares a great local spot to learn to sew with kids:

My 6-year-old daughter likes to watch me knit and sew, and often asks when she will be old enough to join in. I have so far hesitated, being not quite confident that her little hands are ready to carefully handle sharp needles and scissors and small pieces of thread. A recent trip to La Esquina Studio in Cambridge, however, convinced me that she is nimbler and more capable than I would have expected, and more ready to sustain the attention needed to see a project through to completion.
La Esquina is a small shop/studio, owned by two friends and dedicated to selling unusual and independently produced items for children and women. In addition, tucked into the back of the store is a wonderful studio -- chock full of patterns and fabrics and buttons and bright, bursting color -- for teaching children how to sew. Christine, one of the owners of La Esquina, confidently sat my daughter right down in front of a full-sized sewing machine, sitting with her and coaching her through its operation. Working together for two hours, the three of us produced -- from scratch! -- a headband for my daughter to wear, complete with a handmade mesh flower on top. Christine doesn't use kits or simplified tools, instead calmly taking her young pupils through all of the steps and skills necessary to create with fabric. La Esquina offers both private and group classes for children and adults, as well as birthday parties and other activities.