All Aboard!

I love Dallas during the holidays. Where else can you experience a Christmas tradition like the Grapevine Vintage Railroad's "North Pole Express." We caught the 10:30 a.m. train this past Saturday with the boys (pictured). Little ones are encouraged to wear their jammies (parents too!) a la the real "Polar Express" and the mood is festive with sing-alongs and a surprise visit through the coaches by Old St. Nick. Tickets for the final weekend (this Friday and Saturday) are sold out, but often extra seats are released right before departure — so for train lovers it's worth a shot (plus there's free entertainment in the form of an ornament factory, Santa visits with photos, holiday model train layout and live entertainment at the "North Pole Fun Park" - aka Cotton Belt Depot in Grapevine).

And, if you're looking for something to do with the kids after Christmas, load up the fam for a round-trip train ride to the Fort Worth Stockyards Station Dec. 26-31. Trains depart daily from Grapevine at 1 p.m. and return at 6 p.m; or depart the Stockyards at 3:30 p.m. for the Trinity River Run to 8th Avenue and return at 4:30 p.m. For more info and prices, check out the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. --shelley

Age Games: Your Comments Wanted!

I recently sat down with our editorial director, Shelley, in preparation for an article I’m working on for the February issue regarding older versus younger moms. She asked me to think about the differences that she and I would experience as mothers each raising similar-age children (I have one on the way and she has three under 5) in respect to our ages (we differ by about 10 years). As a younger mom, will I be more fun-loving? As an older mom, will she be more patient? Will either of us become jealous of our stations in life in regard to parenting?

These questions really got me thinking and I posed these, and several others, to members of our readers’ panel (if you’d like to join, just shoot me an e-mail) to see what they thought and now I’m asking you. Have you ever felt ostracized by a group of older or younger moms? Do you feel like you “don’t fit in” because of your age? If you’re a younger or older mom, in a nutshell, how do you view the other mommy group?

I’m looking for moms who aren’t afraid to speak their minds! =) E-mail me at senior.editor@dallaschild.com. All comments may be used in the feature, so please include your full name, city in which you live, age now, age at which you became a mom and number of kiddos in your response.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly!
~tessa

Chic or Eek? Is Your Closet Calling for Help?

If you are a mom anything like me, your closet could best be described as casual meets corporate meets maternity meets carpool (in a variety of sizes to suit all life phases). I love to shop. I have many receipts to prove it {insert husband cringing}. I enjoy fashion and pour through women’s magazines for ideas. I have a clue. The one thing I don’t have much of is time. And, that’s what it takes to pull together a smashing wardrobe: time.

Or Nancy.

Who is this magic makeover marvel? Without giving away too many details (you’ll have to read the January issue of DallasChild), Nancy Klompus is the secret-weapon to many a well-dressed mom in the Metroplex. With more than 25 years of designer fashion experience (think Neimans, Saks and Barneys) under her belt, she works as a personal-style consultant, whipping wardrobes into shape with her impeccable eye for style. Nancy takes the best of what you have, organizes it, reinvents it and builds upon it.

I was brave enough to invite her into my closet {yes, nervously so, but you have to admit there is a problem before you can make improvements!}. Find out what I learned (tips you can steal, too) and discover why the right personal shopper might actually help save you money! --shelley

ps ... Who wants to vote? Is that my closet pictured above? Is it Tessa's? Or random Internet photo that Liz dug up? You tell us.

Sugar & Spice for Dallas families

Fresh from feeding families at Thanksgiving, the North Texas Food Bank is hosting a special event this Friday for families at Dobie Elementary in Richardson.

Food Bank chef, Kyra Effren, will host a gingerbread house party for graduates of the six-week Operation Frontline program. Operation Frontline is offered through Dobie’s Even Start program and teaches Spanish-speaking families how to make healthy and “budget-wise” food choices through hands-on classes.

Effren will assemble the houses and let the families decorate with all sorts of candy décor.

Sounds like fun and a great way to give these families something sweet for the holidays.

-Liz

Just Two Weeks Left to Shop...

On the heels of Shelley’s shopping list (see “A Few of My Favorite Things” entry) and Liz’s shopping blitz taking place this weekend (check out “Time to Shop”), I decided it was time to dish on all the goodies I’ve been hording in my holiday hat, as well. Enjoy!

* If you want to make the holidays “blingy” and bright, gift a little one (newborn to age 6) with Swarovski-crystal or nailhead-embellished treats from u*b*baby. The angel onesie (with crystal-outlined wings on the back) is my absolute favorite!

*To make someone’s home (and heart) all aglow, check out the customized creations from Light Affection. Just submit a favorite photo and the company will turn it into an amazing standing light or night light. (I have one of these in my office and it’s beautiful!)

* For those on your shopping list who like to be in-step with celeb life (apparently Eva Longoria and Jessica Simpson, among others are loving this line), then check out gear from Bejeweled. I have my eye on the “Royal Highness” tee — too cute. Shop at www.fashionchateau.com or www.angelarunway.com.

*Want to give the gift of art this season? Swing by the
Mary Jack Studios’s Web site to see the wonderful, whimsical creations designed to inspire all little minds.

*Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven, but how about helping a Dallas-area charity at the same time? The Creating Comfort cook book, which benefits the Genesis Women's shelter, is chock full of tasty recipes for appetizers, main dishes and desserts. Shop at www.genesisshelter.org.

*For the new mom (or about to become one) on your list, visit LillaBoo. This stylish site offers fashion-forward baby basics. Think geometric-print bibs, blankies and bags — a great alternative to the more humdrum offerings that tend to flood the market.

* Want a truly inspirational gift for that woman in your life that reminds you to walk on faith (thanks mom!)? Check out Dallas-based company Christian Couture. ShaeLyn Werner’s collection (the creator) is something to behold. Bonus? For those of us with a baby bump, there’s also a maternity line that boasts sayings like “Blessed Belly” and “Heavenly Sent.”

*And finally, shield against the winter chill with a cozy fleece blanket from Affirmagy. These cuddly wraps boast uplifting affirmations, covering subjects like motherhood, love and serenity.

Happy hunting!
much love~
tessa

Sneak Peeks...

Maybe it’s still December to you, but for us here at the magazine, December has come and gone – it’s time for the new year! For the covers of January’s DallasChild and FortWorthChild, we chose two fiery (and fun) red-heads by the names of Caitlin (DC - bottom picture) and Kelsie (FWC - top picture). The two girls didn’t seem upset that they were missing school to be “models,” dressing up in the “princess skirt” and other outfits selected for them. Here are sneak peeks of the little firecrackers from their cover search test shots from this past fall.

Thanks to Caitlin, Kelsie and their moms for such great and entertaining shoots this morning!

Lauren

Time to shop!

If you survived Black Friday, but still don’t have your holiday shopping finished, you are in luck. Our fair city is not short of shops, but if you’re still at a loss, do not miss the annual Holiday Market sponsored by The 500, Inc. at Dallas Market Hall.

Five dollars gets you into this 2-day shopping fest this Saturday (12/9) 10-6 and Sunday (12/10) from 11-5. You’ll find more than 200 vendors selling everything from gifts and clothes to jewelry and crafts.

The 500, Inc. is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of the arts in Dallas for nearly 40 years, and also hosts the annual ARTFEST.

And, if all the shopping becomes too harried, we’ve stumbled upon this little gem called Christmas Eve: the Joy of Giving, by Lisa Sferlazza Johnson and Tucker Johnson. Eve is a charming little fairy who goes to help build toys at the North Pole, where she learns that quality is more important than quantity…especially come Christmas time.

Happy shopping!

-Liz

Help Your Neighbor

It takes years to build a home, and minutes to lose it...

Operation Homefront is asking for your help for an Arlington family. A fire in late November destroyed the Willows Apartments and left the Davenport family with nothing. Dad is in Iraq and mom is caring for kids ages 6, 2 and 2 months.

The Davenports desperately need clothes, and so will Dad when he returns next year. (Sizes 6, 4T, and ever-increasing infant sizes for the kids, and mom is a 14)

They will also needed are furniture, kitchen items and, of course, diapers!

Operation Homefront’s chapter president, Karla Ayala, suggests saving your shipping costs by donating money or gift cards (all money will be converted to gift cards for the family). “Gift cards can be purchased at banks that can be used anywhere and Wal-mart gift cards are good to because they would cover food, clothes, toys, etc,” she says.

Operation Homefront is a national, non-profit, created after 9/11/2001 to provide emergency assistance to U.S. troops and their families.

Visit Operation Homefront's Texas chapter for information on how to help.

Many thanks, and have a great weekend
-Liz

Oops! We Did It Again!

Fresh from the Dallas Bar Association's 23rd Annual Stephen Philbin Awards Luncheon (during which John Edwards was the keynote speaker), our star contributing reporter/writer, Lisa Poisso (looking radiant and stylish I might add), dropped by the office with the 2006 award for excellence in legal reporting in hand! This is the third major award given to Lisa's two part series: Overhauling Child Protective Services. Qualifies it as a must read, don't you think?
Happy weekend. --shelley

A Few of My Favorite Things

Moms, it's time to start your holiday shopping (especially from the comfort of your computer). Since we are in the parenting pub biz, you can bet that we get the inside scoop on all sorts of great products (and, we simply don’t have the space in the magazine to run everything). So, here are three neat items on my own list:

Personalized pop art portraits (pictured above) created from your photos (great for playrooms): allPopart

Soothing lullabye Cds by Coldplay, Metallica and Radiohead (no kidding). Michael Armstrong takes popular bands’ chart-toppers and turns them into serene instrumentals: Rockabye Baby

Unique and hip shoes for kids: Vincent Shoes

I would love to hear about your finds! Drop me an email. --shelley

My Hubby is “Pregnant,” Too

OK, so my hubby, Chris, is no medical marvel, a la Arnold Schwarzenegger in Junior, but I think he’s getting pretty close. Since the day I said the words “You’re going to be a daddy!,” Chris has been experiencing sympathetic pregnancy — and it’s cracking me up!

For those who don’t know, my hubby is a stocky, goatee-sporting bald man who passes more for a bouncer at the neighborhood bar, rather than a dutiful shopper at Babies “R” Us. And though I’d heard about this phenomenon where daddies-in-development start “feeling” preggars, I never in my wildest dreams thought Chris would be one of them.

But he is.

In fact, he just called (like he has nearly every day the past few weeks) and asked, “Hey, are you tired?” As usual, I said “Absolutely,” and he replied, “Me, too.” We’re on the same wavelength when it comes to all things related to this pregnancy: headaches, exhaustion (if you called either of us around 8:30 on any given night lately, there’s a good chance we’re both already sawing logs), mood swings and hunger pangs. The only thing he hasn’t developed is my strong aversion to seafood — yet.

I tease him mercilessly when he starts getting mopey and whiney (meaning, he sounds and acts just like me), but honestly, the fact that he is so in tune with me and the baby, just makes my heart swell (then makes me cry with laughter, what can I say — mood swings).

Here’s hoping my intuitive “prego” partner continues to share so fully in this experience — but hands off the stretchy panel pants, mister, those are all mine!

much love~
tessa

It's a ... Katie!

The Press Club of Dallas announced its coveted (and nationally recognized) Katie Award winners this weekend and guess what? We won in the category of Best Investigative News Story (beating out fellow nominee D Magazine and scores of other publications throughout the Southwest). The story that earned us the gold: Overhauling Child Protective Services - a two part series written by Lisa Poisso.
In related news, DallasChild also nabbed the American Cancer Society's Texas Media Award in the Best Magazine Feature category for Deborah Dove's riveting tale: Diagnosis Cancer: The Worst News Can Bring Out the Best in Parents.

Dear Hannah … Love, Santa

The leaves are falling (well, more like being catapulted off the branches today due to the one-million-mile-per-hour winds), there’s a chill in the air and there are only eight days ’til Thanksgiving. So what does all this mean? Santa will be “sliding” down that chimney before you know it.

If your little one hasn’t already penned the first draft of her letter to Santa, it’s only a matter of time (minutes, probably). But for every letter she wishfully sends each year, how many does Santa send in return? Sure, he may scribble a quick note after scarfing down the milk and cookies on Christmas Eve, but as for a personalized, straight-from-the-North-Pole piece of snail mail addressed to Hannah herself? Umm, probably hasn’t happened. Afterall, he’s a busy man.

But … there is a company willing to give the ol’ guy a helping hand and bring a huge smile to your child’s face. Letter from Santa is an online e-tailer that allows fun-loving moms and dads, such as yourself, to customize a letter (from Kris Kringle) with your tot’s name, hometown, gender and good deeds. Within just a few days of placing your order (it’s $9.95 per letter) your little one will receive a customized letter from Santa on holiday-themed paper. Just imagine how thrilled she’s gonna’ be.

Hmm, wonder if Santa writes to adults, too? =)

much love~
tessa

What’s In the (Cocktail) Sauce?

It’s been two weeks since I last blogged – I know, what a slacker. But my lack of online input has simply been because I didn’t know how to follow-up on my last entry, “Boy or Girl?” Here’s my quandary, do I spill the beans on baby’s gender (yes, the hubby, Chris, and I now know) or do I keep it secret a little while longer? I decided to go with the latter … for now. =)

But here’s what happened on Halloween.

The representatives from IntelliGender (Rebecca and Teresa couldn’t be sweeter, by the way) stopped by the office to pick up “my sample.” I’d told them I didn’t have any “official” collection cups and asked what I should use. Rebecca said she’d received samples in everything, even a Starbuck’s cup. So the night before I pillaged the kitchen, looking for something suitable. Behold the abandoned shrimp-cocktail jar in the back of the fridge — perfect! It had a tight, no-spill lid and wasn’t gynormous like the pickle jar I’d contemplated only moments before.

I scrubbed the label off the jar, rinsed out all remnants of seafoodiness and gave it a run in the dishwasher. The next morning, thinking I’d been smart by finding such a user (and tester) friendly collection “cup,” I presented Rebecca and Teresa with my sample. “Wow, this is certainly a first,” they laughed upon seeing the jar lid, which read Golden Dipt Cocktail Sauce. My face turned crimson, much like the cocktail condiment I’d rinsed away the night before. “Hey, at least it has a lid,” I joked, knowing it would be a long ride back to the testing area without one.

By 3:30 that afternoon, the “sauce” had spoken.

much love~
tessa

p.s. A big thanks to all of you who e-mailed and weighed in on “peanut’s” gender. I loved reading your responses.

I Scream, You Scream...

There’s an interesting new partnership between the North Texas Food Bank and Carvel Ice Cream.

In celebrating the spirit of Thanksgiving, Carvel is asking you to bring canned food donations to any Metroplex location. As a reward for your good deed, Carvel will give you a free cup or cone for every five items donated.

Need more of an incentive than just free ice cream? Probably not, but just in case, here’s the NTFB by the numbers:

$1 donated = 6 meals provided

57,000 North Texas families fed each month

37 million pounds of food distributed last year.

You could help prepare 57,000 Thanksgiving feasts with your donation…and not spend a minute in the kitchen.

-Liz

These Boot(ies) Are Made For...

In the spirit of holiday giving, Robeez Footwear, creators of those soft-soled shoes that are often seen on the tootsies of local babes, is matching the number of Robeez shoes bought on their North American, European and Australian websites during the months of November and December 2006, with the same number of shoes donated to K.I.D.S. (Kids in Distressed Situations).

Robeez Heart & Sole program is responsible for this charitable initiative, and has been quite successful in the endeavor. Since its formation three years ago, Robeez has donated over 95,000 pairs of shoes and booties to children in need.

It costs you nothing, so if you have a little tot or need a present for one, check out Robeez online. It's a contribution well-appreciated...

Lauren

Hit the Road

DallasChild is headed to Fort Worth this weekend. It’s kind of like a road trip, except no songs and no license plate games. We have places to go—families to see. We’ll be at Ridgmar Mall on Saturday for our FortWorthChild cover search, our last one of the year.

Because we’ll be in Cowtown, here are some happenings going on west of I-35 this weekend.

Today, the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation dedicates a new study area celebrating the arts at the Fort Worth Central Library. The Betty and Hardy Sanders Art Study Area will feature book displays, reading chairs and study tables, as well as the Foundation’s growing collection of art works. Among these works are five original works on paper by Andy Warhol.

On Saturday, after dropping by our cover search, of course, the brand new GSX Athletics facility is hosting the GSX Games. GSX is an innovative athletic facility for youth sports and adult training, and the games will offer “Olympic-style events” for kids (think soccer, gymnastics and martial arts) and an open-house look at the family-friendly gym and its classes.

Enjoy your weekend!
-Liz

What You're Not Supposed to See...

Yesterday we had our photo shoot for the covers of DallasChild and FortWorthChild’s December issues. For December, we decided to go with a rich holiday feel of black and gold for our last issue of the year. Once again, our wonderful photographer, Jennifer Weintraub, gave us great shots of little Lauren of Dallas (top picture), and tomboy Toni (you never would guess by looking at her) of Grapevine, in the comfort of her own dining room. Pushing all tables and chairs aside, this is the site where we shoot many of our covers. (PS – there are many behind-the-scenes tricks and secrets that you would be amazed about, but of course…we’re keeping some under wraps).

The two gorgeous girls were perfect little angels at the shoot, and will make your hearts melt in their “princess” dresses. Thanks to Lauren, Toni, their mothers and of course Jennifer for such a great end to our year!

Lauren

National Adoption Day

November 18th is the 7th Annual Tarrant County National Adoption Day sponsored by Child Advocates of Tarrant County.

The event is to celebrate the finalized adoptions of more than 80 children in Tarrant county, who will be permanently placed with families and leaving the foster care system for good.

Adoption ceremonies will take place all morning in several courtrooms at the Family Law Center in Fort Worth. Children and families will also receive gifts, be able to have family portraits taken, and enjoy various other festivities.

For more information, visit www.nationaladoptionday.org, and don’t miss our feature on transracial adoptions in the November issue of DallasChild, out now. Thanks to the Child Advocates for the info.

-Liz

Look Who It Is...

Guess who was at our New Arrivals Baby Fair and Cover Search for his debut as the Fall/Winter face of babyDallas? It was Ilan, the beautiful baby boy gracing our latest issue of babyDallas. Only about four months old at the time of the shoot, Ilan has grown into his good looks quite well and is as handsome as ever. Now this 10-month-old is preparing to become a big brother. They grow up so quickly these days….

babyDallas is out on stands now, so don't forget to pick up your copy if you're a new or expecting family!

Lauren