Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Web md's definition of sleep deprivation:
"A sufficient lack of restorative sleep over a cumulative period so as to cause physical or psychiatric symptoms and affect routine performances of tasks."
"My Tot Clock is an all-in-one sleep aid, alarm clock, nightlight, and timer for children ages
Pros: My Tot Clock is another great mom inspired company. Pamela Gonzalez was a sleep deprived mom who needed to teach her son to stay in bed and establish a routine. Thus, My Tot Clock was born.
I love how many functions this clock performs. Across the top of the clock, there are five different colored buttons. Each one correlates to a different activity.
Green = Encouragement
Red = Discipline
Light Blue = Naptime
Yellow = Awake Time
Dark Blue =Sleep Time
The face of the clock lights up each of these colors too, which makes it easy for a child to know what to expect. One function of this clock we've actually used a lot is the discipline. Since Chandler is 3 years old, when he gets in trouble, he goes to the naughty spot for 3 minutes. A lot of times it was hard for me to gauge how long he was in his naughty spot and it was a pain to always run to the oven to turn on the timer. Now I just make sure that My Tot Clock is close, we are able to set it to 3 minutes, and push the button. Chandler knows while the clock is red he is to stay in time out. Once his time is up, the clock isn't red anymore and a buzzer signals to let him know it is over. He is no longer trying to weasel his way out of time out, and I'm amazed at how effective this is.
Another button we really like is the sleep time. You can preset the sleep time button to the time your child normally goes to bed, and the bedtime routine will automatically start at that time. You can choose to have music, a story, and even white noise. Chandler loves to sit on his bed and listen to the story; it actually makes him excited to go to bed.
If you miss bedtime, or want to put your child to bed earlier, you can manually start the bedtime routine, which is nice. Once the bedtime routine is over, my tot clock makes a great night light and shines blue to know your child is to go to sleep. When we first started using this, I thought the blue light was way too bright. I then realized there was a dimmer on the back. How nice that someone has already thought of that.
You can also set an "alarm" so your child knows when it's ok and time to get out of bed. The clock will turn yellow and fun wake music starts to play.
My Tot Clock is very easy to use and has different cartridges you can buy and change out for the bedtime stories. The faceplate is also interchangable, and with 10 different choices, there's bound to be something for everyone!
Cons: I feel like the story that plays at bedtime is a bit fuzzy/static when you listen to it on the clock. Chandler doesn't seem to mind it, but I notice it. There were a couple different functions that I was also confused about when we first got My Tot Clock. For example, a few days after I got the clock, the face turned red and I couldn't figure out why it was doing this. Thanks to the FAQ on the My Tot Clock website, I was able to get my question answered. This particular page on their website is very helpful as it lists all FAQ's as well as tips and an online version of the user's guide. If you are planning on buying the Tot Clock, I would definitely bookmark this page.
The Bottom Line: A must have for parents with young children. Creates structure for different activities in an easy to understand way for you and your child.
Price: $49.95
Where to buy: My Tot Clock
Rating: Great
My Tot Clock has generously agreed to give one of these clocks away!
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Contest is open to US residents only and will end May 27th, 11:59 MST. Winner has 48 hours to contact me!
Monday, May 4, 2009

Chandler loves to look at and read books. We have made it a habit to always read books before he takes naps and before bed. We usually tell him to pick 3 or 4 and he carefully scans through them to pick the ones he likes the most. He is getting to the stage where he is really interested in the storyline of a book. I know that reading with your child is extremely important, and I believe that the content and what it teaches is a very important aspect of that. The Dr. Hippo Series Books help you and your child learn about different medical issues and how to handle them in a wonderful, entertaining way.
wants to make you read them, right? I think a book is wonderful when it's title can immediately capture your attention. They are published in hardback which makes them extremely durable. They've already been toted all around the house, taken to church, and even on a road trip. They still look great. That is definitely one thing I love about hardcover books. Tuesday, April 7, 2009
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.
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. Saturday, April 4, 2009
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!
less than 5 seconds ago from web You can contact me at: snedfam (at) gmail (dot) com.
Labels: Giveaways
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
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.
- Visit the Giggle store and tell me about another product that they offer - 1 entry
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Monday, March 23, 2009

I've been looking for some shoes for Rowan lately. After watching him trip repeatedly in his little church shoes a few weeks ago, I took them off to see why he was tripping so badly. They were shoes that Chandler wore when he was little as well, and I'm sure he tripped in them lots too, but as a first time mom I guess I thought that was normal the first few months of walking. I pulled the shoes off, and couldn't believe I'd never noticed how hard the sole was. They don't have any give and had hardly any padding. They sure are cute though. When I stumbled upon See Kai Run, I was immediately excited to learn that they had a nice flexible sole. And that's only the beginning.
little Kai that had a flexible sole and were comfortable. I love mom inspired companies. You know that someone behind the scenes has been there and really knows the market. Plus, it means that much more thought and effort goes into the product.really like his shoes, and I love that they are incredibly cute. Plus the shoe that he orders goes up to a size 9, meaning your older child can enjoy the flexible well made shoes. (Chandler is almost 3 1/2 and is wearing a size 9 if that gives you an idea of the age group.)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Don't we all spend way too much on diapers? It probably doesn't help that it is Christmas time, and we'd love to spend our money elsewhere. Since I am doing diaper reviews I thought it would be appropriate to do a diaper giveaway! Up for grabs is a $15 Walmart gift card you can use for a few weeks worth of diapers. You know the drill - leave a comment to enter and let me know what kind of diapers you last bought. Winners will be announced the day after my last diaper review....sometime in January.
Labels: Giveaways
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Brook and Krysta!
Labels: Giveaways

