Blog Posts by LilSugar

Source: UTales: A Modern Alternative to Brick and Mortar Bookstores

Paper is no longer a story time requirement, thanks to the abundance of digital kids' books accessible via iPad or smartphone. A new player to the ebook scene is uTales, which distinguishes itself from the pack with an interesting crowdsourced approach to acquiring content. For $10 a month, parents have access to an unlimited number of digital picture books - your standard subscription model - but these books aren't ones that can be found just anywhere. uTales culls its content from a network of more than 1,000 professional authors and illustrators from around the world; in this way, it's more Etsy than Netflix, but with an editorial board and selective process ensuring the quality of the books that make it onto the site. In addition to these original works, uTales boasts an impressive selection of classic kids' books that have been given a new life.


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LilSugarSource: 10 Ways to Cheer Someone Up on Bed Rest

Bed rest can be excruciating for expecting mothers, but there are several things you can do to help make the experience a little less painful. Good food, thoughtful flowers, new hobbies, and guilty reads are just a few ways you can cheer up your friend or loved one.

1. DVD Marathon: Does your friend have a favorite guilty-pleasure show? Has she always wanted to get into Lost? Netflix a TV series and watch it beginning to end together.
2. Scrapbook Making: Bring a bunch of scrapbook-making supplies and help your friend ready a homemade scrapbook for her bundle of joy or to chronicle her growing family so far.
3. Mini Manicures: Every girl deserves a bit of pampering, so give your friend a bedside manicure and pedicure.
4. Tight Knitting: Teach your friend to knit or learn together. You can work on a collaborative project: knit the baby a large blanket or make little caps and booties.
5. Guilty-Pleasure Reads: Read a guilty-pleasure

LilSugarSource: How to Throw a Muppets-Themed Birthday Bash

The Muppets movie hits theaters today, bringing the Muppets back to the limelight! A new generation of lil Muppets fans is ready to be born, and mama knows it's only a matter of time before tots start asking for a Muppets-themed party for their next birthday. Check out these inspired Muppets party ideas and start planning your tot's next birthday extravaganza!

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LilSugarSource: The Opposite of Glowing: Embarrassing (but Totally Normal) Pregnancy Symptoms

So much for that pregnancy glow. There are plenty of lovely, delightful side effects to pregnancy, but there are several that can definitely be more than a little embarrassing - especially if an expecting woman has to spend a lot of time in crowded elevators.

• Invest in Some Pantyliners: An increase in hormone levels causes the vagina to produce more secretions and discharge, a generally harmless albeit messy experience. Discharge that has a strong odor or color should be discussed with the doctor as it could be an infection.
• Gas Attack: Excuse me! Increased flatulence and belching might be unladylike, but it's pretty unavoidable, thanks to the crowding in the belly as the baby grows.
• Hypercolor Skin: Linea negra, the scientific term for the dark line that appears on the belly that many pregnant women experience, is the result of increased estrogen levels. It's the same reason

Tips For Happy Marriage After BabySource: Tips to Maintain (or Bring Back) the Romance in Your Marriage After Baby

Keeping the spark alive in any marriage is something that both spouses need to work hard to achieve. Add a screaming baby, two sleepless new parents, and a new daily routine that everyone is still trying to get used to, and the flames of passion can be pretty hard to ignite! We asked relationship expert Andrea Syrtash - author of Cheat On Your Husband (With Your Husband) ($11) - to give us her top three tips for keeping the romance alive after baby arrives. Check it out!

1. Commit to a Regular Date Night: What does not count as a date night: watching TV, running to Costco, spending the entire date talking about the baby and the bills. If your baby is too young, set special time aside at home where you can connect as lovers - not just as coparents. One couple interviewed by Andrea picked an ethnic cuisine they tried to master together each month and then ate by candlelight.
2. Flirt: Send a sexy

Source: Soleil Moon Frye Shares Her Favorite Birthday Party Tips

Editor's note: The following is a guest post written by Soleil Moon Frye, Target's mommy ambassador, author of Happy Chaos, and mom to Poet, 6, and Jagger, 3. This week Soleil shares her tips on bringing her kids into the kitchen.

I'm a huge holiday person, and birthday celebrations are especially important to me. It's not about the presents - my favorite memories from childhood birthdays are of my mom showering me with attention, filling the day with my favorite foods, and making me feel special and loved.

I'm not sure anything will ever top Johnny Depp crashing my 12th birthday (a special surprise from a mutual friend), but I'm determined to create similarly unforgettable birthday experiences for my girls.


More from LilSugar: Soleil Moon Frye Shares Tips For Bringing Kids Into the Kitchen


For Poet's fifth birthday, we had a Grease-themed party and went for a full-out, '50s-style event. It's possible to be elaborate

Source: Sweet Talking Ken Doll: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?


Do lil ones really need to be sweet talked? Some doll makers think they do. Meet a new version of Barbie's better half, the Sweet Talking Ken Doll ($19), who pretty much looks like Barbie (same blue eyes and pouty pink lips) but with a surfer-dude shag haircut. Sporting an awfully tight fitting shirt that reads Ultimate Boyfriend in multiple languages, this Ken doll, marketed to tots five and up, has the unique ability to "sweet talk" tots - with their own words. Lil ones simply press a heart on Ken's shirt to record themselves saying whatever it is they'd like to hear from Ken himself. Kind of a bizarre concept: own your ultimate boyfriend and program him to say exactly what you want. What do you think? Take our poll here.


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Is Barbie a Good Career Role Model?


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Source: Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining: The Positive Perks of Pregnancy

It's not all bad! Sure, it's easy to focus on the less-than-optimal physical manifestations of pregnancy, from commonplace stretch marks, weight gain, and uncontrollable flatulence to the more serious pregnancy complications - but there are some downright delightful effects as well. Keep reading for a glass-is-half-full perspective on expecting.

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