I was excited to read this review of “StrapTo It” today…along with the comments!! Please share it with your friends It’s so great to hear that it’s helping Moms feel at peace and safe when they take their precious babies out and about. http://bit.ly/cjiHwg

The great folks at Lila Guide have posted a review of Strap To It on their super informational site and I’d LOVE to have some reviews of Strap To It added.  For those of you who use Strap To It, are familiar with it, have gotten it for a friend or just think it’s an all around great idea, please take a second and add a review.  You can check it out here:  http://www.lilaguide.com/reviews/strap-to-it-infant-car-seat-safety-strap-586600.aspx

THANKS!!!

Check out this great gift basket full of Mom invented items…the fit+giggles Postnatal Exercise DVD is included.  You can still enter here:

Last Christmas our baby boy was only 3 months old and our little girl was just over 2.  With them at those ages, our tree was not so dangerous for them.  Our little girl knew not to touch the ornaments and our little guy was too small to get at them.  This year, they are 1 and 3 and our Christmas tree ornaments are no longer safe especially with the sharp hooks we use to hang them with.  So, this year we’re decorating the tree with only soft cloth ornaments, ornaments that won’t break if dropped, the fun ornaments our little girl is making at school and we aren’t using any hooks, they need to have a string loop that can go around the branch.  Since we don’t have many ornaments that fit this description, I’ve started to decorate the tree with the beautiful cards our friends are sending.  These days, most, if not all the cards we get have such cute family photos on them and are so fun to look at all season long.  So, with them on our tree (held on with clothes line pins), we have a tree that is covered in friend’s photos.  Now, our tree if safe for the kids and we get to see our friend’s faces everyday when we look at the tree.

Here’s a close up of some of the cards decorating our tree this year.

What are you decorating your trees with?

Happy Holidays,
Kim

Well, I didn’t use to…but now I do, at least when it comes to her school lunch.  Typically I send along a PB&J sandwich cut in triangles, a Yo Kids yogurt tube, some apple sauce, a fruit or a veggie, and cheese or something like that.  We were at Trader Joe’s the other day and she picked out Laughing Cow cheese as a replacement for her typical string cheese (the memories of my school lunches came flooding back).  So, now I add that in.  Anyhow, she’s been coming home with her sandwich looking pretty much as I sent it in the morning, the whole thing comes back, well, all but the one bite she took out.  Desperate to get my little girl to eat her lunch, I dug our the cookie cutters and have been giving her PB&J a make over.  Now, depending on the season, she get’s a new fun shape.  Here’s a picture of today’s.

Do you have any fun lunch make over tips?  I’d love to give them a try and report back.

Happy lunching!
Kim

Who doesn’t need a little help sorting through what’s healthy or not healthy today based on the latest study?  I sure do.  I like to think I live a pretty healthy lifestyle but I do find I get lost in the grocery store as I comb the isles looking for yummy and good for my family food.  I stumbled upon The Nutrition Diva, a fun and free podcast from iTunes.  Monica, the host and resident diva, serves up easy to digest (pardun the pun) nutrition tips that we can all follow.  Last week she went over the importance of Olive Oil and a podcast or two before that she sorted out the truth behind nuts.  Download a broadcast or two and see what you think?  You can also check out her website for some more tips at http://nutritiondiva.quickanddirtytips.com/

Bon Appetite!
Kim

So, I was cruising around the web the other day reading a few of the many mommy newsletters (Mommy Track’d, The Cradle, etc) I get every week, one referred to a new blog called CoolMom that has quick funny videos from Daphne Brogdon. Since I don’t have a ton of free time I thought I’d quickly check it out.  Well, 30 minutes later I was still checking it out and I find myself checking in with the site regularly to see what new stuff she’s talking about, basically the site has sucked me in.  Check it out at www.coolmom.com.  It’s so great.  This blog has tons of 1 minute vlogs on the funny stuff (with a bit of attitude that we can all appreciate) that happens to all of us, little things we go through, think about, work on, etc as new or pregnant Moms.

So, if you need a quick break from reality or just want to check in and make sure that you’re not the only Mom around that revels in quiet Mommy moments or freaks out as your belly grows and your wardrobe shrinks check in with cool mom.

Have any fun blogs that suck you in?

Happy reading,
kim

  OK, so my latest mission is to try and give a second life to all the baby products that I’ve accumulated over the last 3 years.  Today I found a new life for my Munchkin Powdered Formula Dispenser.  October 1st marked the day I could retire this container from it’s originally intended use.  So, today I was organizing the kids plates, silverware, cups, etc and came across it.  It’s still in perfectly good shape so I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it so I thought….Cheerios Cup!  Yes, Wyatt is ALWAYS wanting snacks on the go, this bowl can now store 3 different kids of small snacks (maybe Cheerios, Puffins and Teddy Puffs or whatever the snack du jour happens to be).  Today, I’ll try it out and see how it works.  Seems like a good idea.

Do you have any ingenious reuses that you’ve discovered.  I’d love to hear about them.

Have you been losing your kid’s socks left and right?  Do you blame the sock monster living in your washing machine and dryer?  Well, stop the insanity with this great reuse.  A lingerie net bag makes a fabulous sock washing and drying bag.  Toss is the socks, zip it up, drop it in and for once, what goes in ALWAYS comes back out.

Do you have other great reuse tips?  We’d love to hear them.
Happy washing!

Kim

  I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that getting a 2 year old to voluntarily get into bed and stay in bed isn’t the easiest task…am I?  Well, that was the case before I purchased the Twilight Ladybug yesterday.  First of all, we went to a wonderful Ladybug themed birthday party for a pre-school friend of my daughter’s this weekend reigniting her excitement for Ladybugs.  When I was in Geppetto’s Toy Store yesterday I came across the Twilight Ladybug.  With my daughter’s newly energized love for Ladybugs, this interesting toy caught my eye (there was also a Turtle).  When the Ladybug is turned on a moon and about 10 constellations of small stars cut out on it’s back shine on the walls and ceiling in the color selected (either green or blue) or it becomes a red glowing nightlight.  I bought the Ladybug and had it wrapped at the store to be a birthday gift (as I did with the Tag I blogged on earlier) and had the best intentions of waiting to give it to her Friday for her 3rd birthday….but again, I was too excited to give it to her that I couldn’t wait.  As soon as I gave her the beautifully wrapped package she tore off the paper with more vigor than I’d seen before and immediately said “I love it!”  We proceeded to turn it on (thanks B-Cloud for including batteries) and she ran from room to room seeing how it would magically transform the room into a beautiful twilight.
I digress…back to the bedtime ordeal and how this wonderful toy has made bedtime an activity to look forward to.  Usually when nighttime comes she can think of 1,001 other things she’d rather do.  The ritual goes something like this:

Mom: Sweet dreams Mia
Mia: “I need milky, Mommy…please read me 10 stories, Mommy…I need to tell you something, Mommy….I forgot to give you a hug and kiss, Mommy…I need to give Daddy a hug and kiss, Mommy…I need another hug, Mommy…my covers came off…Mommy, Mommy, Mommy…(you fill in the blank).”
But, last night was a different experience all together.  It was more like this….

Mom: Mia, it’s time for bed.
Mia: OK Mommy…let me get my Ladybug.  (hug…kiss) Goodnight.
So, for any Mom or Dad feeling like bedtime is a challenge…try the Twilight Ladybug!

Anyone out there have this same experience with their Twilight friend?
Peace and sweet dreams!