Babes and Kids

MomDot is having a party ALL of May to celebrate Trisha's 31st birthday! (She is the author of MomDot) There will be a giveaways daily and there will even be a giveaway for an awesome swing set! Be sure to check it out!

My boys love to watch dvd's, that no secret in our house.  So when I was introduced to eebee, I was automatically excited because eebee encourages babies to do and discover.  Yes, I said babies.  Chandler is 3 1/2 and is definitely not a baby anymore, but he is constantly asking to watch Eebee.  At 15 months, Rowan is intruiged with Eebee, but that is to be expected, right?

Tonight from 5-10 pm, Baskin Robbins is holding their 31 cent scoop event to help honor firefighters.  At participating locations, you can get a small scoop for 31 cents.  Call ahead to make sure the location near you is participating!  Find your closest location here.

I am going to start participating in Wordless Wednesday over at Mom Dot. I guess this one isn't completely wordless.

DH's idea of a baby carrier?

I've turned to orajel when both of my boys were teething.  They have been around for 40 years, so of course I feel like I can trust their products.  Rowan is working on his eye teeth, which I think are the worst of them all.  3 of them have finally broken through, but we are still waiting for the last one.  Orajel has a new teething gel out - cooling cucumber teething gel.  I was anxious to give it a try and see if it gave Rowan and relief.

Ever heard of Eebee Baby?  He is ridiculously cute and even helps babies learn.

Isn't it crazy how kids outgrow shoes and clothes in a ridiculous amount of time?  It seems like I have just bought Chan or Rowan a new shirt or pair of shoes, and next thing I know, it's too small.  Wouldn't it be awesome if there were a shoe that could grow with your child?  There is, they are called Inchworm Shoes.

Pros:  I absolutely love the concept behind these shoes.  We were able to review the Milan Strap in a size 10-11.I really like the style and color of the Milan and feel that it is very trendy. Inchworm shoes have 2 sizes in one.  Their iFit technology allows the shoe to "grow" expanding it's size right before your eyes.  Chan is in a size 10 right now.  Once that is too small, there is a button on the side that you push. You then pull on the shoe to expand it.  The bottom part of the shoe has a small view window that let's you know what size it is.  It starts as a size 10, and can expand to a size 10.5 and size 11.  Since his foot isn't growing quite so fast, I expect that these shoes will last us a good year.  To understand this concept fully, with great pictures, visit here.  Nice, right?  Chandler loves these shoes because they are easy to take on and off.  This particular style has a velcro closure on the top which is holds in place very well. The velcro really stays in place.  The shoes are very durable, and although we've only had it a few weeks, they still look brand new.  The inside sole and padding seem very comfortable and the bottom of the sole is quite thick with great traction.  We are planning to do some hiking this summer as a family, and I think these shoes will be great for Chandler because of the comfort and traction.  Inchworm shoes are offered in children's size, starting at a size 10-11, and going up to sizes 4-5.  With 18 styles to choose from, there is bound to be something you'll love.  

Cons:  These shoes are a bit heavier than Chandler's other shoes, and I think it took him a day or two to get used to that.  The middle part of the shoe that extends is also not very flexible.  I think this could be due to the fairly new technology, and the fact that it needs to be less flexible to provide support and be able to extend.  I'm sure that it is something that will get better in time as Chan breaks them in.  It's also hard to extend the shoe, I struggled with a bit, but it seems like consumers have also been concerned about this aspect, as it is in Inchworm's FAQ's.  Here's how Inchworm responded:

Mommy's quiet time is giving away a custom blog design by Subjective Beauty.  Her work is great!  I love her punky monkeys design page, and would love to have her do some work on my blog.  Go check it out!

Huggies has a new rewards program called Enjoy the Ride.  I think eventually it will be similar to the Pampers Gifts To Grow program, which we have been participating in for 3 years now.  

I'm always on the lookout for cool, innovative products, things that make life a little easier, and of course a little more fashionable. My Monkey Moo is a specialty company that sells comfortable and stylish stroller pads and blankets.

Pros: Here's a dilemma it seems I always face with the stroller and blankets: It's cold outside but warm enough to want to go walking. I need to put a blanket around Rowan who is usually the one in the stroller at this point. After a minute, even though  I have bundled him well, the blanket comes loose and starts dragging on the ground. It gets dirty, stuck in the wheels, and I end up having to stop and fix it every few minutes. My Monkey Moo stroller blankets are 26" wide by 32" long, which is the perfect size for covering up your little one without having worry about it dragging. Everytime we've used My Monkey Moo, we've had no problems with the blanket falling off or dragging and Rowan has stayed toasty warm.
We received the stroller pad and set in the pattern At the Zoo. The pattern is absolutely adorable, and I had the hardest time choosing as they have so may fashionable and fun patterns. The nice part about these sets is that they are reversible, allowing you to have two different looks. Immediately upon receiving the set, I was impressed by the great quality. The material is thick and both items are extremely well made. The backing is a VERY soft swirl chenille. It's so soft that I wanted to curl up with it! Doesn't Rowan look so warm? And YES, that is SNOW in APRIL.
I think the stroller pad is such a great idea. It protects the fabric on your stroller, gives a versatile look, and makes your little one that much more comfortable. I a decided to give the stroller pad a test run myself and what better way to do that than to sit on it. :) I know it sounds funny, but I need to give an honest review, right? It actually does a great job padding, even if it isn't intended for moms who weigh more than 20 lbs. Rowan looked super comfortable when sitting on his stroller pad. These pads have slots/holes where you can put the buckles and harness through to help it adapt to almost any stroller. And if this set isn't versatile enough, the stroller pad can double as a changing pad! These wash up really nicely, and I can see that our set is going to last for a long time.
My Monkey Moo is decidated to style and comfort 365 days a year. What a great attitude for a company to have, and I adore the name. Fun and catchy, right?

Cons: I feel like there isn't quite enough information about the company on the site and would love to learn more. As a consumer, I'd like to know how the company was inspired, the mind behind it. I also wish these were available in more stores as I notice there aren't any retailers in Utah where I'm at.

The Bottom Line: Great innovative baby gear, perfect for your strollers.

Price: $64 for blanket or pad $130 for Sets. (Please note this company is out of Canada, and all prices are figured in Canadian dollars. I assume if you place an order, the exchange will be figured in, so actual price in US dollars is less depending on exchange.)

Where to Buy: My Monkey Moo Online 

Rating: Great

My Monkey Moo has offered to GIVE AWAY a stroller and pad set!

Baby Earth has Ga Ga deals  on baby items with prices that drop by the second until they are sold out.  They do this throughout the day, I believe until 5 pm, and have a new product hourly.  There are some really great deals on baby items and baby gear if you watch!

I'm in the process of revamping my blog!  So if it looks funny to you now, it's only temporary :)

Vincent shoes were founded because of a little boy named Vincent. I am a BIG fan of little boys, but maybe it's because I'm biased because I have two little boys of my own....that has to be it :) When Vincent was born in 1998 in Stockholm Sweden, his uncle Thomas and partner Patrick wanted to find a pair of shoes to take him. Not finding anything they liked,  they began designing a line of their own, and the rest of history.

The Review: We received a pair of the Oskar children's shoes in blue for Chandler. As soon as we pulled the shoes out of the box, Chandler said, "Oh cool!" and immediately wanted to put them on. He loves this particular style and I do too. They are a great cool kid's sandal for summer, and I love that they are a closed toe sandal to protect his little feet. The front of the shoe has the toe bump, which protects those little toes from getting hurt. It really lets you know that their toes are protected, because we all know that little kids aren't always exactly careful. These also double as a great sneaker with socks. These shoes have awesome flexibility and after feeling the inside of the shoe and watching Chan wear them, they seem extremely comfortable and move well with his feet. The velcro is very functional, holds well, and enables Chandler to put his shoes on by himself, which he is VERY proud of.
On each of the shoes, Vincent adds Designers notes which are fun to read and very witty. I couldn't help but think of Chandler when I read the designer's note about the Oskar shoe we got for him:

"Oskar has all the elements necessary to grow into a stunt man. He climbs onto the countertops to reach the high cabinets then leaps down without a second thought. If your baseball is knocked out of the park, he’s the first one to scale the fence to get it back. His favorite pastime with friends is horseplay."

I love the little details Vincent adds to their  shoes, like the contrasting colors and stitching. I also love that there are a lot of gender neutral shoes that are offered in boy and girl colors. You can definitely tell there are some great designers designing these shoes, as they have some fashion forward styles. New collections come out in the Spring and Fall and offer about 40 different styles to choose from. The Vincent collections start with their baby shoes at 6 months, include a wide range of toddler shoes,  and go up to 8 years with their children's shoes.  Not sure what size your child should be wearing? Vincent has taken this into consideration and has a shoe fitter guide you can download and print out.
I am really impressed with Vincent and their shoes. Chan has worn them everywhere and they still look like new. Pretty great considering he is 3 and rough on everything he comes in contact with.

The Bottom Line: Fashion forward, awesome quality children's shoes

Price: $20-$55 depending on style

Where to Buy: Vincent Shoes

Rating: Excellent

Vincent Shoes is giving away a $50 gift certificate!

Don't delay shopping for Vincent Shoes because if you make a purchase and then win the giveaway, Vincent shoes will CREDIT your purchase! Pretty awesome, right?

Here's how to enter the giveaway

Visit Vincent Shoes and let me know your favorite style from the spring/summer line - 1 entry

Fill out the refer a friend form - 1 entry

Tweet/Blog about this Giveaway - 1 entry

Contest is open to US residents and will end May 1st at 11:59 pm MST. Winners have 3 days to contact me.

I love magazines and subscribe to a few. I love getting  parenting tips, recipe ideas, beauty and fashion tips, etc.

You can get Redbook for a YEAR for only $.89 through Barnes and Noble. Cover price is $42, so you are saving 97%!

Here are a few other good deals on magazines:
Family Fun - $4.45 for a year (save 82%)
Parents - $4.47 for a year (save 88%)

PLUS - Enter one of these coupon codes for an extra 10% off at checkout!
(Can be used once per account.)
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Here is the original post from slickdeals.

EllyBean said...
They offer some pretty cute organic onesies!

Thanks for such a great giveaway!
ellybean (at) connected2christ.com
http://www.connected2christ.com/theblog

Congrats, contact me at snedfam@gmail.com!

Swaddling seems like it is essential with a newborn.  It gives them that secure warm feeling of being in the womb.  Both of my boys loved to be swaddled, Chandler especially.  We actually swaddled him until he was 6+ months because he just slept well.    Aden and Anais wants babies to have just that, the swaddled comfort they need.  So when they contacted me, I was excited to be able to review one of their Australian muslin baby wraps.

Chan had a lot of skin problems when he was a baby, as you can see from the photo on the right.  Cradle cap, exzema, and he always seemed to have heat rash.  He loved to be swaddled but would get so hot that he would rub the blanket on his cheeks until they were red and rashy.   He overheated so easily but wouldn't sleep well unless he was swaddled.  We tried every type of blanket it seemed, and he always overheated.  I would have loved to have known about Aden and Anais, I'm sure it would have helped tremendously with his heat rash.

I saw this on slickdeals and wanted to pass along.    You can get 150 download songs from Amazon for only $.99 here.  Good deal if you are looking for some children's music! And here is the link to the original post from slickdeals. 

Both my boys love to take baths.  Of course, what kids don't like to take baths?  Their grandma gave them this Fisher Price Amazing Animals Tubtime Tugboat bath set for Christmas.

I have to admit, I'm starting to have a bit of a shoe fetish on behalf of my boys. Who said little boys couldn't have lots of cute shoes, and great quality ones at that? I was excited to discover Jack and Lily, and was immediately pulled in by their great site and tagline: Discover, Touch, Smile.

Pros: Jack & Lily's shoes are made from the Finest Lamb Touch Leather. We received a pair of the sport touch in brown and cream from the My Shoes line for Rowan. Aren't they cute? This particular line goes up to 24 months. They really aren't kidding when they say they use the finest touch leather. These particular shoes are made from 100% cowhide leather and are so incredibly cute. Their shoes are specially designed to encourage touch and development in babies and toddlers. This is all to true. The first time we put Rowan's new shoes on, he immediately bent town to touch and examine them. I think he likes the contrast of colors and the feel of the shoes. The shoes from the "My Shoes" line have a soft sole that is perfect for indoors as well as outdoors. They have a skid resistant sole which helps with tripping and helps grip surfaces. They are also very light which is great when it comes to first walkers and toddlers. There's nothing that makes it more difficult for a baby to walk then heavy shoes. Because of how nice and soft the sole is, Rowan walks like a pro in these. Jack and Lily shoes are recommended by Podiatrists, which means you know your little ones are getting shoes that are simply the best. I really feel that these shoes run true to size. Rowan's other shoes are a size 5, or 18-24 months. We ordered an 18-24 months and it was comparable to a size 5. I really appreciate this aspect. Sometimes if you order a product online, you never know if it will run big or small, so it's nice that they do run true to size.

The original collection does not disappoint. Jack and Lily has one of the biggest collections of soft soled shoes I've seen, with some incredibly trendy and baby friendly styles. They have more than 70 combinations of shoes. If that isn't selection, I don't know what is. What's awesome abou the soft soled collection too is that the sizes go up to 4 years! Most other brands only go up to 24 months. The original collection is machine washable. You simply wash them separately in cold water, partially let them tumble dry, and then reshape and air dry. They do reccomend hand washing though to extend the life of the shoes.

Mom Dot and Thomas the train are giving away 6 train sets - Thomas at Action Canyon.  Chandler LOVES Thomas and would absolutely love this set!  You can enter to win one at Mom Dot and also blog about Thomas to get extra entries, so if you see some more Thomas entries from me, we want to up our chances!

So I mostly focus on baby and child products, but I wanted to share one of my very favorite products with all you mamas - the Ipod shuffle.  I love to exercise, it's my little getaway.  I absolutely love working up a good sweat while my favorite song is pumping in my ears. Plus it helps with the stretched out muffin top that my cute kiddos helped contribute to. :)  I have a second generation in purple.  I love how tiny it is, it will hold up to 500 songs and will play up to 12 hours of music, plus it only weighs half an ounce!

Here is the winning comment via random.org

Flashback 4 years ago:  I'm about 3 months pregnant with Chandler.   Food aversions, puking, fatigue, and tremendous mood swings were just a few of the things that I was feeling at the time.  I'm also feeling overwhelmed.  I knew I needed to start preparing for a baby, not just mentally but physically.  What do I need?  Where do I start?  What products are the best to buy?  These were just a few of the questions I was asking myself at the time.  About a month ago, I came across The Giggle Guide to Baby Gear by Ali Wing CEO and founder of giggle.   This book claims to be The Smart Shopping Companion for new parents.  Is it?  Keep reading and you'll find out.