Claire Bidwell Smith

I counseled a client recently in my hospice job and she told me that not once in the 50 years since she's been married to her husband has she ever imagined that one of them would die. I marveled at this idea. I think daily about what it would be like to lose Greg or Read more…

I still have that really embarrassing story up on my review blog and YOU still have time to enter to win $150!

Have you ever thrown yourself into a situation and known almost immediately that it was a mistake to be there? That was me showing up to my first prenatal class when I was barely a week pregnant. Well, technically I was 5 weeks pregnant, but that's only because the 40 weeks of pregnancy are actually Read more…

My mother was a stickler about what went into our refrigerator and our mouths. Growing up in the 1980s there was a whole slew of fantastically processed foods out there that I wanted to get my sticky, little hands on. Slices of cheese perfectly wrapped in plastic, fruit that had been sugared and pounded and Read more…

By far, one of the hardest things about trying to stay fit is doing it consistently. Throw a baby into the mix and well, good luck. Lately I've had to get a little crafty without my fitness regime. On days when it's hard to get to the gym or yoga class I do a little Read more…

Dear Internet, I want to give you $300. No, really. Why? Because you deserve it. And because the nice people at Sprint said I could.  I recently reviewed a new Sprint product called the Overdrive (and even made a ridiculously embarrassing video of myself using it all over Chicago). It was kind of a lot Read more…

Although my mom was a serious cook, always making everything from scratch and refusing to allow me such coveted treats as Kraft singles and fruit roll-ups, she couldn't cook ALL the time. Case in point: on our refrigerator hung a big sign that read LET'S EAT OUT! and once a week or so my mother Read more…

I'm excited to announce that the winner of the ERGObaby Carrier Give Away is Jenny Hontz of Venice, California. I chose the winner using random.org and her comment entry was number 47, the number random.org chose from the 161 comments. Jenny is actually a friend of mine, but I swear she won randomly. So many Read more…

Lately I've been giving a lot of thought to the kind of mom I am. I've quickly realized that, with each choice I make about how to parent, another set of choices blooms. Being a modern, urban mom, the kind of mom with a faded Obama bumper sticker and tattoos (also faded), who leans towards Read more…

Before you have kids you may think you know what kind of parent you'll be, but the thing is that you don't really know. I actually hadn't thought too much about it, especially given that I didn't even know I wanted to HAVE kids until I met Greg. The most thought I'd ever given to Read more…