angela santomero, the creator of blues clues and daniel tiger, won't mom shame you about screen time

Hello from Balboa Island!

We are on a tour du Southern California for the boys’ Spring Break. We kicked things off with four nights at the Hotel del Coronado, a magical wonderland on Coronado Island in San Diego, with some of our best friends and their three kids.

George was stationed on Coronado when he was in the Navy, so we lived there for two years right after we got married, and every inch of that island is packed with memories from our time there. Kids were such a distant thought back then, but we’d always see the families at the Hotel Del and think “someday we’ll bring our family on vacation here!” so it felt surreal to be there, scooting around the streets of Coronado, roasting s’mores on the beach, and pool-hopping with the beasts. It was so, so special.

this photo pretty much sums up our enthusiasm for the hotel del coronado

I promised a map of fave Coronado (and a few other San Diego) spots, and here it is!

George and Cashy baby flew home on Monday, and the big boys and I drove up to Balboa Island to meet some friends here! Within five minutes of arrival, we had our toes in the sand, fully set up for a beach day. This is SUCH a great beach town with kids — the beaches are tiny (in a good way) and there are no waves, so it just feels really safe and easy with small kids, plus it’s a golf cart town (fun!), the adorable downtown is in walking distance from every house, the ice cream shop / chocolate covered banana stand stays open late… total gem of a small town.

As the creator of Blue’s Clues, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and Super Why (to name a few!) Angela Santomero may be the person most responsible for getting my family through the pandemic with our sanity intact. Daniel Tiger in particular was (and still is) a lifesaver in moments when George and I needed a break, and it's “musical strategies” have become part of our family’s lexicon (“grown ups come back!”).

On this week’s episode of So Into That, I chat with Angela about the childhood development principles behind her Emmy award-winning work, her hot take on screen time for kids, what it was like working with the real-life Mr. Rogers, two wise pieces of advice for parents of young kids, and SO MUCH MORE. She is an absolute gem and I’m excited for you guys to get to know her!

Listen to this episode on your favorite podcast app:

1. It’s kids-in-matching-pajamas season! Snag a pair of these adorable $10 pajamas for your cousin or friend beach week. My friend Lexie got the popsicle pajamas for our boys and they got such a kick out of it.

2. My cousin Lexie has been giving this fun $30 beach hat to friends as a “thanks for hosting” gift instead of a bottle of wine.

3. I’m obsessed with Goodles mac and cheese for myself and the kids. I’m really into the new bacon flavor, which actually just has smoky flavor (no weird dried bacon), but the boys love the “shella good”. It has 14 grams of protein per serving!

4. My fave review of this week’s 30-minute cheesy broccoli pesto pasta comes from reader Jacqui Singer. “Unreal. Should be illegal. Delicious!!!!!!!!! 🤤”. Several reviewers have said that two gloves of garlic was too “spicy” for their kids, so perhaps omit it or only add one clove if feeding very spice-averse kids!

I’m going to send one of you a big variety pack of Goodles mac and cheese! This is not sponsored, I’m seriously that obsessed. To enter this week’s giveaway: just comment with something you learned from or enjoyed on this week’s podcast with Angela! Must be a paid subscriber, must live in the US.

Last week’s winner of the teddy robe is Gabrielle B., whose reflections on “how motherhood has changed you” I agree with across the board. Gabrielle, email me your address and robe size! xx

I love following the poet Josie Balka on Instagram. Her poem “Long Distance Daughter” absolutely broke me, so I’m sharing it here so that I don’t have to be broken alone!! Sending a hug to all the other long distance daughters out there, and I love you, mom!

Thank you for reading So Into That! If you have any ideas for features I should add, sections you love seeing, or things you’re really into to share, please comment here and let me know!