“Right. That’s super,” I say.

She slides onto the rug next to the bed. “Rug? What rhymes with rug, Mommy?” She spits out her own answer. I nod. Okay, sure kug rhymes with rug? She trots into her bedroom. I drag myself into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Just as the suds in my mouth she pushes the door open. “Mommy, door, what rhymes with door?” I mumble some resemblance of floor? I can see the wheels turning in her head. “Mommy?” Be careful. Rhyming can be dangerous.

Don’t play this game in public.

Sweden is a country that rocks- fashionable, solid, and full of people with names like Anja, Sofia, and Hanna who can do any winter sport with a smile.

The grandmothers in my world are like that.

One grandmother is my Swedish government-run child care system. (Did you know Sweden’s entire population has access to childcare so parents can work?)

When I’m working, who comes in to pick up during the vast time gap? Granny. She cheerfully tucks my little one safely into her car and takes her on adventures. Well, to her snow covered backyard where my little “e” can run and practice those winter sports with a smile.

The other grandmother is my Swedish National Institute of Public Health (Their policies, by the way, include the statement that health is a key factor for sustainable societal development.)

Whenever “e” has a cold, Oma has a wealth of knowledge to pass on regarding concoctions to assuage ills- honey and tea, salt and hot water, cold compresses for a fever, etc. And, then there is always the back-up call the next morning or in the evening.

My grandmothers climb trees, make snow angels, buy extra winter coats and hats with hearts, paint ceramic creatures with bright silver sparkles, find just the right fuzzy slippers for tiny toes, play with scarves and puppets, and know just how much to tug on soft hair matted and snarled from a nap filled with dreams of dragons and dinosaurs.

As a single mom, I don’t know what I’d do without Sweden in my life.

“You think of the best ideas,” I say.

“Love and pink and red everywhere,” she adds.

“That would be quite a world,” I say.

“So, today- like right now- can we make heart cookies?” She turns her head to the side and bats her eyes.

“You are four! What are you doing with those eyes!” I bend down. “Where did you learn to do that?”

“What?” She smiles.

“Four year olds don’t bat their eyes. I knew you were up to something!” I stand up and wipe the kitchen counter.

“Oh, please, mommy, I really, really, really want to make heart cookies. It’s my favorite thing to do.”

“I thought your favorite thing to do five minutes ago was to color dogs, and five minutes before that your favorite thing was to play ‘Feed the Kitty,’ and 5 minutes before that I thought making puzzles was your favorite thing to do?” I put my hands on my hips.

Her shoulders relax. She sighs. “Mommy.” She twirls toward a stool. “I would like a spot of tea.”

“A spot of tea?” I laugh. “You make me laugh little girl! Okay, I shall make us tea with honey.”

“Oh, goody.” She raises her arms and hugs me.

“I guess we’ll need some cookies to go with the tea, huh?” I say. “Heart ones?”

“Yes.” She nods like she’s adding an exclamation point. “Pink and Red.”

Frosting is the perfect, sweet mix of butter, sugar, and milk. A white butter cream slopped in gobs on top of a deep chocolate cupcake is enough to send any toddler screaming with delight, and her mother too for that matter.

The process of creating frosting is pure fun.

On one particular day, my little one became the frosting.

She unwrapped the butter quarters, plopped them into the mixer, and watched as the wire whip cut and creamed the hard butter into yellow fluff. She helped measure the sugar- well, she poured it into a measuring cup and purposefully made it overflow onto the counter. Her eyes increased in size as she stuck her finger deep in the middle.

“Yum! Can I do that again, Mommy?” She grinned.

“We need to make sure we have enough for the frosting,” I said.

“Oh, okay.” She momentarily understood. Though, the overflowing sugar part of the process was especially wonderful, the final product would be ecstasy- if she could wait that long.

The butter, sugar, dash of vanilla, and milk spun in a dizzy dance. She leaned over the mixer and reported several times, “I think it’s done.”

Each time I checked, her level of anticipation increased; she leaned into the mixer more, her knees dug into the counter, and her feet tapped the stool.

At last, the creamy treat was ready.

“MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!” She was frenetic. Heaven was within her grasp- inside a shiny, aluminum bowl. “Can I please lick the bowl?”

“Of course!” While I spread the frosting on top of the warm cupcakes, she sat on the stool with the bowl between her legs. Frosting covered her hair, her cheeks, her shirt, both legs, and some became toenail polish.

She officially became my cupcake.

To save this event for posterity I created the Simply Chickie t-shirt design “I am the frosting.”

She is the frosting on my life.

Newport, RI (August 19, 2009)  Simply Chickie (www.SimplyChickieClothing.com), a line of 100% organic baby clothes and accessories has received The Baby Planners Picks Seal of Approval – an accolade program designed to help expectant parents prepare for their baby’s arrival with an exclusive list of products and services chosen based on quality, reliability, value and style.

We are so excited in having earned The Baby Planners Seal of Approval, said Gwen Gardner, CEO & Founder of Simply Chickie.This award is a testament to the quality of our product line and reaffirms our commitment in offering organic baby selections!”

Free of dyes and using only certified cotton grown in fields that are free of pesticides, Simply Chickie’s line of products are made in the U.S. and feature whimsical designs created by the CEO and Founder, Gwendolyn Gardner – who strives to capture the wonder of childhood by printing whimsical sayings and graphics on clothing that do not contribute to the pollution of our environment.

The line includes onesies, t-shirts, and hats in some of the following designs and motifs:

• I Toot Toot
• I Am The Frosting
• May Contain Peanut
• I’m Well Bred
• Inside Me

The eco-friendly line is offered for both girls and boys, with sizes ranging from 3 months to 6T.Retail prices range from $14 – $24.

About The Baby Planners?

The Baby Planners Picks / Seal of Approval Program is an exclusive list of products and services that The Baby Planners endorse based on quality, reliability, value and style!

The Baby Planners showcase hundreds of product picks on their frequent television appearances, magazine features and online. They highlight everything from the tried and true, to the fabulously new and unique on such shows as Rachael Ray, Access Hollywood, KTLA’s Morning Show, iVillage and most recently on DisneyFamily.com. Some of their top picks are also featured in Pregnancy Magazine, The Cradle, Tibesti, The Bump, and the Hot Moms Club where they are featured columnists and experts.

For more information on The Baby Planners and the Seal of Approval Program, visit www.TheBabyPlanners.com.

About Simply Chickie

Simply Chickie Clothing is a line of 100% organic baby clothes and accessories made in the U.S., and free of dyes and pesticides.

The line was founded by Gwen Gardner, whose creative background and living in Japan, served as inspiration for the company. Gardner comes from a long line of artists and writers and is in fact, a direct descendent of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the 1850 novel, The Scarlet Letter.

Visit www.SimplyChickieClothing.com for more product information and selections.

SimplyChickie offers 100% organic cotton clothing including organic onesies, t-shirts and hats for both boys and girls to wear. Free of dyes and using only certified cotton grown in fields that are free of pesticides, all of the Little Chickie Wear products are made in the U.S. and feature whimsical designs created by the CEO and Founder, Gwendolyn Gardner – who strives to capture the wonder of childhood by printing whimsical sayings and graphics (one of my faves pictured) on clothing that do not contribute to the pollution of our environment. Sizes are available from 3 months to 6T.”

Go to The New Parents Guide Website here.

As Gloucester native Ann Andrew recalls, it didn’t take much for her to dream up Mommies Who Shop, the series of suburban shopping events and “play dates” for mothers that she launched two years ago. A former director of merchandising at the now-defunct Sigrid Olsen who’d left her job in 2004 to become a stay-at-home mom, Andrew – creative, affable, and with a finely honed sense of fashion – tapped into two of her big loves, socializing and shopping.

“I think of it as an upscale girl nights out,” says Andrew, 40, the mother of three boys. “I wanted it to feel intimate, to be something that women could dress up and head out with their girlfriends to, and maybe go out to dinner afterward. It’s like a happy hour with shopping.”

Some of the best-known shopping events for women are aimed primarily at the young and single. Shecky’s Girls’ Night Out parties and StyleFixx events, often held in Boston’s South End, gather local vendors and national labels, selling everything from Spanx to handbags to hair products in one traveling bazaar. Mommies Who Shop nights aren’t much different – except they’re held in the suburbs and most of the vendors sell hip goods for kids. Also available: a little grown-up time.

Lobster Baby Hat

Baby apparel by Little Chickie Wear is made in Newport, Rhode Island, from 100% organic cotton. More than two dozen designs are available on hats, baby T-shirts and onesies. This “Local Catch” lobster design is my favorite.

Click here to view the article.