Baby Feeder Revisited

Two and a half years ago I reviewed this baby feeder and gave it one star mainly because my son would not even put this in his mouth.  Good thing my mother-in-law never read that post because for Christmas she bought our youngest son this feeder and he loves it:

This is a similar but simpler design than the other feeders.  The first style that I reviewed had a total of three pieces, where as these new ones are just made of one piece.  I like the simplicity of this design better mainly because there aren't any parts to lose.  The best part?  They are dishwasher safe and that makes clean up a cinch!

So far Asher has only enjoyed chewing on a hunk of banana, but I'm sure more foods will make their way into these great feeders.  I guess this just goes to show (again) that just because one baby likes or doesn't like something it doesn't mean the same will be true for any subsequent babies.

Baby Wearing: the Snugli

At the beginning of this post let me just say that blogger's picture handling capabilities leave much to be desired.

Me wearing Ethan at less than a month old.  He is positioned sideways in the carrier with both feet coming out of one hole.  *Warning* This position is not endorsed by the manufacturer, but on that evening he needed to be held.

First up on my list of baby wearing apparatuses is the Snugli Front and Back carrier.  I'm reviewing this carrier first because I think it is one of the more popular styles of carriers.  Here's a quick run down of things I look for in a carrier and how this one measures up:

Positions baby can be worn in: 3 (Face-in, Face-out and BackPack)
Range in pounds or age baby can be worn: Infants 7 to 26 lbs
Easy to put on: 4/5 (more discussion below)
Stability of baby in carrier: 100%  I would do jumping jacks or maybe even kart-wheels with this carrier on!
Can you help a toddler go to the bathroom while wearing this carrier: Absolutely!
When do I choose this carrier?: Anytime I feel like I will be moving around a lot and I need the full use of my arms.
Average time this carrier remains comfortable: no more than 2-3 hours
Overall Score: 4/5

Berry picking with Asher in the "face-in" position.  You can really do anything with this carrier on!

Asher in the "face-out" position.

Another shot of Asher in the "face-out" position.

I really do love this carrier and before writing this post I questioned myself as to why I don't wear it that often.  The answer is simple.  Even though this is a versatile carrier that is easy to put on and securely holds the baby, it is connected to your body with four main straps.  These straps are connected with buckles that similar to other backpack buckles.  My one complaint with these buckles is that if you aren't careful they can pinch the heck out of you!  And I mean the heck!  The time before last when I was buckling the Snugli on me I literally said the F word when one of the buckles pinched my finger.  If you hang around me very often you know that I don't say the F word.....ever!  Well, at least not very often...  If you have someone to help you put it on they can help you make sure you aren't going to pinch yourself, but honestly how often do you have someone else around to help you put on your carrier?

Philip wearing Ethan in the "backpack" position.

The great thing about this carrier is the ability to wear the baby on your back.  Similar carriers like the Baby Bjorn often do not have this option.  This position really allowed my husband to wear a baby and not feel girly!  He even carried Ethan in it on a hike to house mountain.  After that hiking trip we bought a better hiking carrier, but more on that later.

Overall this is a great versitile carrier!

Wild Mushroom-Barley Soup!

I love soup! It is so easy to cook and usually makes great left overs. The problem that I have is that I struggle to find a soup that my husband likes. Don't get me wrong he "likes" most soups that I make, he just doesn't think they are filling enough to count as a meal. Well, last night was a pleasant exception. This is a Rachael Ray recipe and usually I wouldn't just re-post a recipe that is already out there, but the version that her staff typed up and put online is terrible! Here is my version with notes where needed:Ingredients (my changes in italics)

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms I only used 1/2 ounce because it cost over $3
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1/3 pound thick cut pancetta or prosciutto ends, chopped into 1/4-inch dice I kinda went crazy here and used 3/4 pound of bacon (what can I say I misread the ingredients list)
  
• 3/4 pound cremini mushroom caps, wiped clean and quartered (these are also known as baby bellas) you can also use just cheap white button mushrooms if you using meat in the dish
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• 2 leeks, trimmed, sliced, washed and dried (or two onions but leeks are cooler)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh sage, very thinly sliced
• 2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can diced, fire roasted tomatoes I found these for the first time! They are with the other canned tomatoes.
  
• 1 quart chicken stock for vegetarians you can use mushroom stock or vegetable stock
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 1 bunch kale leaves stripped from stems and thinly chopped
  
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Place dried mushrooms in a medium pot with stock and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Let mushrooms continue to steep as you prepare the rest of the soup.

Heat EVOO, 4 turns of the pan, in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta or chopped bacon and cook until browning, 2-3 minutes (omit if making vegetarian version) then add cremini mushrooms and bay leaf. Cook 10-12 minutes to soften and darken the mushrooms. Add leeks and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes more. Add sage, rosemary, stock and tomatoes.

Remove softened dried mushrooms from the stock and chop. Add them along with their cooking liquids to the soup pot, taking care to leave behind any grit from the mushrooms in the stock pot. Stir in barley and simmer for 45 minutes. When barley is done add kale and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Bring soup back to a boil just until the kale has wilted.

Taste to adjust seasonings and serve in shallow bowls with cornbread (or if you forget to make cornbread like I did, toast).
Enjoy!!

LaSource 60 Second Fix Manicure Set

Sometime late last year a friend and I were walking in the mall and she said, "Oh, we have to go into Crabtree & Evelyn to get our hands massaged!" Once we were there we walked over to the sink and first scrubbed our dry hands with the Hand Recovery repair treatment. When they were good and scrubbed we washed the treatment off and wow! It makes your hands so soft! This is great to use during the winter or even the summer when you are washing your hands a lot from being outside, changing diapers, etc. Then after you scrub there is an amazing Hand Therapy moisturizer that is not too oily or too fragrant like most lotions.

I've been a believer/user of this product ever since then. In the 60 second fix kit is a tube of the scrub that exfoliates and then a bottle of the lotion to seal in the softness! The great thing about this, is that the mini-kit is only $10.00! That makes it a great gift for teachers during this time of year! The fragrance is rather mild so I would bet that even the pickiest teacher would enjoy this kit.

There is also a gardener's version that just has a different "herbal" scent. I bought a bottle of the hand soap and it smells great. Not to strong, but great to wash your hands in after a long day outside in the dirt or after a soak with some dirty dishes!

Great tip: all of the LaSource products (and some others) are buy one get one half off right now!

A new discovery: Consignment Sales!

This spring I was introduced into the wonderful world of consignment sales! First the preschool that my son attends had a clothing sale and last week I went to one of Knoxville's bigger if not biggest consignment sales, Duck Duck Goose. I remember when I first got pregnant one of my friends was trying to tell me the benefits of going to consignment sales and I would have none of it! I wanted my new son to have all new things! HAHAHA! How nieve was I?

At both sales I was wonderfully surprised by the quantities and qualities to choose from. At the Duck Duck Goose sale I was in awe at the number of potty chairs, bath tubs, and diaper genies (and that was just in one very small hallway). In my son's shoe size alone there were six Rubbermaid tubs to look through! I didn't even look at the clothes because that wasn't on my list! Consignment sales are great because we all know that kids (at least for the first two years) don't wear clothes for more than six months and we as parents definitely don't get the wear out of the clothes that we could.

So after going to two sales I have a few tips for first time shoppers:

Go with a list! A specific list with quantities, sizes, colors, etc. On my list for the Central Baptist sale was overalls and shoes. I found two pairs of great looking overalls and I might have picked up one dress shirt (that was reasonably priced) and I looked for shoes, but didn't find any that fit my specifications. For Duck Duck Goose I wanted to find a train table, potty chair, and more shoes (some for me and some for my friend Betsy). Although all the train tables that were left were overpriced, I did find a great potty chair, three pairs of shoes and a book for $14! A list is helpful for many reasons. Even though in both cases I bought something that wasn't on my list, the list helped me stay focused. I could have gotten bogged down looking at all the adorable clothes at great prices, but we don't really need any clothes right now so that is not a good use of my money or my time away from my family. I also noticed so many moms that looked like kids in a candy store; they had a hodgepodge collection of things that barely fit in their arms and as our line snaked through the sale they collected more, and more, and more stuff! Remember that a deal is only a deal if you need it AND you can afford it!

Go with a budget! Even better is to go with cash! We all know that going in with only cash sets definite unbreakable limits. At each sale I had an idea for how much I would pay for each item on my list (no more than $10.00 for a potty chair) and that help me budget the total maximum that I would spend. Since I found a potty chair for only $5.00 I was able to buy a book for $2.00 and still be well within my budget.

Go early and be prepared to be there for a while! This is especially true for big sales like DDG. I got to go in on an early admission day and I still waited in line to check out for 45 minutes. I even got to go through the "quick" 10-items or less lane! At the smaller sale I had no problem walking in, picking out what I wanted and checking out. Just be prepared to camp out for awhile at the larger sales.

Go prepared! I saw a few ladies at the big sale bringing in laundry baskets with them. Smart cookies those women! If you are shopping for an entire spring/summer wardrobe I would suggest bringing a basket or other carrying device (your arms can get tired waiting in line).

Go to one! I found great deals at both sales so my #1 piece of advice is to ask around in your moms group and make plans to go to the next one (planning child care would make it even better)!

Good Reads

This site is so cool! Not only can you make a "wish list" for the books that you want to read, but you can also see what all your friends are reading too. This site has really helped my not buy books that I want to read in the future. Instead I just add them on to my "to read" shelf and they are saved forever. I love getting email updates of what my other friends are reading too.

Recently my friend Allison posted a list on her blog of all the books she read in the last year. I can't remember all the books I read last year so I just went on Good Reads and sorted my "read" shelf by date.

Contour Changing Pad

We have used this changing pad on top of our changing table since Ethan was born, but last week I discovered a new use for this pad. While packing late at night for an upcoming vacation Ethan started crying. I thought this was odd....until I got upstairs. We had our first case of a stomach bug. Yuk! Well while I cleaned up his bed I laid him on the changing table and he just curled up in a little ball. We then moved the pad to the floor of the bathroom where Ethan and I spent the night. It worked great! It was just like a little portable bed. Who knew?

I do have to admit I have never used the straps that come with this pad. We also have the boppy changing pad cover on it which makes it very soft.

Melissa and Doug Puzzles

Melissa and Doug make some great products including real wooden puzzles.
Ethan's very first puzzle was this one that he got for his birthday. Although he is interested in it he can't do it by himself. He knows the crab goes in the crab space, but it is hard to get the pieces exactly lined up. Also, there is no real up or down so that really doesn't help him figure out the orientation. For these reasons I was a little disappointed, not in the puzzle but in how easily aggravated Ethan would become because he couldn't do it by himself. For Christmas he got several more Melissa & Doug puzzles including this one:
He loves it! He can do all the pieces himself. The circle doesn't have a wrong way and all the other pieces have at least 2 or 3 different ways they can go in. He loves to do it and I think it is a great starter puzzle for little girls or boys. Both of these puzzles are "jumbo knob" puzzles which are good for little hands. Here is another jumbo knob puzzle that he does a little bit better with because he can tell the feet of the cat and dog go at the bottom. They have other types of puzzles as well. "Peg" puzzles such as this one:
I like this puzzle because all of the tails fit with all of the fish. Again Ethan struggles with this one now, but I know that he will get better at it and it will help him learn his colors.

Nanny Sara and Parrain Curt bought him this great "chunky" puzzle for Christmas.
He loves this puzzle! The pieces don't have to fit exactly in the holes because they are not as deep as the pieces. Also, the holes are also a little bit bigger than the pieces. He loves "driving" these pieces all over the house.

Bear Creek Dry Soup Mix

With all three members of my family sick the week before Thanksgiving I needed a quick meal that would be nutritious and easy. I love these Bear Creeks dry soup mixes. We have had the Cheddar Potato before, but for a sick household I recommend this Cheddar Broccoli. I even added a half a bag of frozen broccoli florets, and served it with crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar. It was SO good and it definitely hit the spot on a cold and cloudy day.

The best thing is that you just boil water, stir in the mix (and the frozen veggies) and in <10 minutes lunch is served. The bacon and cheddar leftovers were already in the fridge from other recipes so even that was easy. It was even thick enough that my 17 month old son had his bowl of soup and he loved it. He even ate broccoli! Well, he tried it at least.

Tomato Paste in a Tube!

So, I watch my friend Giada use this stuff for years, but until about a year ago I had never seen this product in the store. I still haven't seen it in Knoxville, but I've heard it is carried in certain stores. I found this product at the Albertson's by my mom's house and bought like 3 tubes because I was so excited! Anyway, this stuff is awesome! You can add just one or two tablespoons to a recipe without having to open an entire can of tomato paste. I just used it tonight to stretch my sloppy joe recipe to cover a little more ground beef than it called for.

Boon Bath Toy Set

This is really the only set of bath toys you'll ever need. It includes 3 balls, 2 scrubies, and 10 foam pieces that are all different shapes and colors. Ethan loves "sticking" the shapes to the wall of the bath tub. He especially loves the balls that came with this set. The set is only 14.99 and it contains 15 separate pieces. The scrubies also make a really nice lather for washing up. He does have other bath toys, but I think this set is the best bang for your buck. It also makes a great baby shower gift as a bath time starter set!

Priddy Books!

My favorite part of Priddy books is that they contain mostly pictures of real objects. Ethan loves these books. The "Baby Things That Go" showed here on the far right is one of his favorites right now. When ever he sees this book he says, "rrmmmm." He will bring it to me to read and then bring it to Philip to read again. My engine noises aren't as good as Philip's but they are getting better! I mean how many times in a grown woman's life do you have make the sound of a helicoptor or a space shuttle? What sound does a space shuttle even make?

He also loves "My big animal book". We practice all the sounds of different animals when we read it. Animal sounds are great too. I never had to think about what sound a tiger, lion, or giraffe made. The big cats are easy but I'm still not sure about the giraffe.

Baby Bug Magazine

After hearing a librarian speak at one of our MOPS meetings Ethan "asked" for this magazine subscription for his birthday. We really like it. Each issue contains a story about Kim and carrots (a girl and her stuffed bunny) and many other poems and short stories. What is so cool is that some poems are old nursery rhymes (humpty dumpty) while others are new poems I've never heard before.

One of the points that the librarian made was that we should try to expose our kids to all types of written media, not just books. Baby Bug is one way to expose kids to magazines. It is appropriate for 6 months - 3 years of age. The publisher Cricket also publishes other magazines for older kids.

Wild Animal Baby is a magazine published by the National Wildlife Federation that is appropriate for ages 0-4 years. It covers a variety of animals in each issue. They also publish magazines for all ages. They also have just begun publishing an activity magazine that looks cool. We don't yet have a subscription for Wild Animal Baby but we did receive a few sample issues.

Popsicle molds: 4 Stars

My mom use to always make homemade kool-aid popsicles in the summer time. I think she had a tupperware version of these popsicle molds. Well recently I found these at Wal-mart and made some blueberry yogurt pops for Ethan. They were really easy. I just used my food processor to blend the blueberries into a slurry and added vanilla yogurt. The proof is in the picture:

He loves them! I know summer is almost over, but maybe you can find some of these molds for sale in the upcoming months. I also have a chocolate pudding pop recipe, but I haven't tried it out yet.

"Gossie" books by Olivier Dunrea, 4 Stars

I first picked up these books on a whim at the library. The illustrations were simple as was the text. I brought home about five in the series and immediately fell in love with them. Ethan now owns both of the board books shown (today we bought Gossie & Gertie) as well as the flip book, "Gossie's Busy Day". I am against kiddlets destroying books, so he has not yet got to play with the flip book.

As far as Gossie is concerned, I now know the book by heart. "This is Gossie. Gossie is gosling. Gossie is a small yellow gosling who likes to where bright red boots. Every day." Through out this book Gossie wears her bright red boots through several activities that highlight opposites. At the end of the book she meets her new friend Gertie. Throughout the series you meet new characters like Ollie who does not want to come out of his shell or Peedie who has a bright red hat.

I love Dunrea's stories because they have few words on each page and all of the stories I've read so far have a phrase that is repeated through out the book.

Do you have a book or author that your kids love? Send me your reviews and see them posted here!

LeapFrog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set, 4 Stars

I really believe that Ethan knows what a cow and sheep say because of this toy! It is so cute. Each of the five animals have a front and a back. If you make a match you hear a song that says, "You made a match, look what you found. You made a match hear a ____ sound. (and then that sound)". What I really like is when you don't make a match. Instead of the farm saying no or you are wrong it sings, "You put a pig in front and a cow behind. Put them together, and what do you find? A pig/cow? That's silly!" I'm not afraid of Ethan being told he is wrong, but at this age does it is neat to reward him for just getting two of the pieces in the farm!

It will also tell you facts about the animals and make the animal sound every time a new piece is put in the farm.

Crayon Wheel, 4 Stars

This was one of Ethan's birthday gifts. I think it is so cool! No matter which way he holds it (except for horizontal) it draws a color! What is even cooler is that he has not tried to eat it, which is what he does for every other crayon. The only draw back is I'm not sure where my friend Laura got it. Maybe she will leave a comment and tell us. Here is a picture of Ethan coloring with a twistable crayola crayon (which I also love), but he did use the wheel too.

Baby Moon Slings: 4 Stars

When I was pregnant I saw a mom wearing one of these slings with her 5 month old in it. He was so cute, and he looked so comfortable I just had to have one. Baby Moon Slings sells all types of slings, but mine is the Solarveil version. I have worn my little boy in it as recent as last week. He just sits on my hip like normal, but the sling slips under his bum and helps me stay hands free to browse through books (we were at McKay's). This version is unpadded which I liked because in August I stayed cool even when he was in the sling.

A picture of our newly expanded family back in July.

Their website has great instructions including different ways to wear the sling.

g Diapers, 4 stars

Being a mom I know that we all struggle with the fact that the average disposable diaper takes 500 years to decompose in a landfill. Yikes! The solutions are not simple (or cheap) but in this case I can say that they are doable. I do know friends who use cloth diapers but I have found a fusion of disposable and cloth diapers that are really neat.

I first tried g diapers after reading about them in a Parent's magazine. These diapers are made up of three parts: a cotton outer covering, a plastic liner, and a disposable pad. At first I was a little disappointed. The pads did not seem to stay in place and #2's often got on the liners and made a really big mess. After giving them a break for four months I decided to try them again. They work great. I think four months ago the liners and covers were just a little too big and that led to more leaks, etc. Now they fit really well and I have not had a problem in the last two weeks of using them. I have not even thought twice about wearing them out in public, which I would have never done four months ago. It does help that my little boy does have more firm #2's now, but I think even if he didn't the fit is the key to keeping things un-messy. He weighs 20 pounds now and is in a medium cover and using the medium/large pads. He does still wear a disposable at night, but the website suggests doubling up on pads to help cope with the extra fluids during sleeping.

One of the neatest things about these pads is the options you have with disposal. They can be thrown away in the trash, flushed down the toilet, or the wet ones can be composted!! On their website there is a really neat video that shows the break down of the pads vs. a disposable diaper.

I did give these 4 stars instead of 5 because of the cost involved. An average disposable diaper will run you 10-25 cents a diaper and these are about 40 cents per pad plus the start up cost of buying the liners and covers. You can purchase these online, or I get mine at Earth Fare in Turkey Creek.

Bullfrog Mosquito Coast: 4 Stars

This is not the first bug spray I have purchased for my little one, but so far it is my favorite. My friend Betsy first mentioned it on her blog and I had looked for it at several different stores. This weekend I finally found it at Food City. It works great! Ethan came in tonight with no new bites. As an added plus it also contains SPF 30 so that's one less thing to put on the little one!