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C.U.T.E Baby Gifts for your baby

April 4, 2009 by
There is a new company out there that has your baby’s name written all over it. Almost literally.
C.U.T.E Baby Gifts specializes in creation of personalized, one-of-a-kind artwork using your baby’sname. Paint, pencils and a splash of artist’s talent result in beautiful name plaques that you can frame and enjoy for many years to come. This is one baby gift that is destined to become a keepsake.
The name or nickname of your choice is spelled out in colorful block letters on 11×14 artist’s board, with a symbol representing each letter. Each gift is unique and educational, as it teaches the child to spell their name and beginnings of the alphabet. So next time a baby shower or birthday comes around, don’t get another outfit or stuffed bear, give them a Colorful, Unique, Thoughtful and Educational baby gift from CUTEBabyNameGifts.com
This is the gift the parents (and they baby) will never forget. To order please visit http://www.cutebabynamegifts.com/
Here are some samples of the beautiful work




What’s Heaven-a book and discussion

April 3, 2009 by

What do you say to young ones when someone close has passed away? How do you explain heaven? How do you explain death?
This book is a touching story of Maria Shriver explaining all of these things to her children when they lost their grandmother Rose Kennedy many years ago.

“Heaven isn’t a place you see,” she explained. “It’s somewhere you believe in.”

The story approaches topics like funerals and the death of pets and distinguishing between body and soul. These are great beginnings to further conversations with your own children. The explanation of heaven is lovely and delicate it isn’t over the top with descriptions of pearly gates and harps and golden statues. It delivers a vision of peace and comfort that a child may comprehend without fear.

This beautiful and touching book, What’s Heaven was written by Maria Shriver and illustrated by Sandra Speidel. I recommend it even if you haven’t lost anyone. I’m not sure what my reason was for buying this several years ago but it is going to be helpful today.

Death has put its hand on our family this week. My grandmother, Mom Mom passed away very suddenly yesterday afternoon so I will be scarce for a couple days as we handle some details and arrange services. We’ve explained her death to the children but this should be a little more comforting.
Here is my Uncle Mickey and my father (right) with Mom-Mom.

Here is Mom Mom holding Shae for the first time she’s less than 2 weeks old.




FitFlops Evaluation

April 2, 2009 by

Walking is a must for everyone. Whether you are walking to work, school, for fun or for exercise we all do it at some point during the day. My problem with walking especially in the summer is I love to wear flip flops; they are my all time favorite. During the summer I wear flip flops every day, every single day. My feet are paying the price now but that won’t me from stop wearing them, I just switched to something better for my feet.

Thanks to FitFlops I’ve been wearing a pair of WalkStar III for about a week now and while I can’t claim that they have toned my calves and thighs I can say that my feet don’t hurt at the end of the day or when I wear running shoes like they used to. “It’s the Flip Flop, with the Gym built in” is FitFlops claim and the testimonials speak for themselves. They fit tight against the top of my foot so they don’t actually flop around as much as my other flip flops and my foot fits nicely inside the sole instead of sliding around. With this secure fit I find myself not clenching my toes to keep the shoes on and taking smoother steps almost like I was wearing sneakers. I received a black pair which are perfect for most everything but I might buy myself the bronze or super cute purple for something fun for summer.

Here are the claims that Fit Flops makes to its wearers

  1. FitFlop midsoles incorporate patent-pending micro-wobbleboardTM technology, to give you a workout while you walk. Developed by Darren James and Dr David Cook at LSBU, the FitFlop’s unique safely -tapered midsole places varying densities of EVA under your feet each time you step, to challenge the support and balance muscles of the foot and leg.
  2. They challenge hard to reach muscles more. FitFlops are engineered with a multi-density midsole that stimulates your muscles more while you’re wearing them. In independent University testing, FitFlops have been shown to trigger increase gluteal muscle response, increased hamstring response, increase rectus femoris (thigh) response and increased calf muscle response .
  3. Every step you take in your FitFlops helps tone and trim your legs: Studies at Salford University by Dr. Philip Graham-Smith and Richard Jones have shown that the FitFlop midsole extends the amount of time that the slow twitch* muscles are engaged during each step (by approximately 10-12%). So just by wearing a pair of FitFlops you’ll get more exercise while doing just exactly what you’re normally doing. (*slow twitch muscles produce energy by converting fats into energy aerobically)
  4. FitFlops work your bum muscles more. FitFlops have been proven to increase the amount of time that the gluteus maximus muscle is ‘activated’ during every single step.
  5. FitFlops have been shown to have a significant effect on the toning muscles of your thighs: The rectus femoris muscle (one of the large muscles in the group of muscles in your thigh) is activated for a longer period of time while walking in FitFlops than while normally shod or barefoot .
  6. Walking in FitFlops is like walking barefoot, but a little bit better. According to a study done at the University of Salford in Manchester, UK, the FitFlop wearer’s gait is very similar to that of a barefoot walker, but the added cushion provided by the EVA midsole helps reduce joint strain and absorb shock. In fact, several FitFlop wearers have already reported relief from back pain after a few days of wearing them.
  7. FitFlops make it easier to stay in shape. Just throw them on while you’re running errands, walking to work, or working around your house. Most first-time FitFlop wearers report feeling their muscles working more, while ‘fitter’ wearers feedback has been more toward great comfort and cushion. One woman reported feeling like she’d had a ‘bum-blasting’ workout after a half an hour of FitFlop-shod walking.

FitFlops can be found at Bath and Body Works, Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret.




Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

April 1, 2009 by

What if we got our food from the sky? I’m not talking the rain that feeds the crops, I’m talking bowls of spaghetti and meatballs with loaves of garlic bread literally falling from the sky. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs tells this exact tale.

In the small town of ChewandSwallow it doesn’t rain rain or snow snow; instead it they get their 3 meals a day from the sky. All is well for many years until the weather take a turn for the worse and the food gets larger more of up crashes down on them. Their town in virtually destroyed by tomato tornados and giant pancake that lands atop the school.

That pancake was so enormous in size and massive in weight there was no way to remove it so they had to close school. The people of ChewandSwallow have to make a decision to survive. They make boats from giant stale peanut butter sandwiches and set sail for new land. When they arrived in their new land they had a new life to learn. Food now had to be purchased in stores not caught on plates. This was a very new idea but they knew this had to be the way since no one wanted to go back to ChewandSwallow because they were too scared.

This is an entertaining book for preschoolers through adults. The illustrations by Rin Barrett are vivid and dramatic and the story-telling by Judi Barrett is captivating. This is a favorite in our house.

Sony Pictures is releasing an animated film loosely based on the book this fall. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be based on an inventor that discovers a way to make food fall from the sky. The city looks more like New York City not a small town of ChewandSwallow. It’s something we’d definitely see but know to expect some difference in the story.





Olives and Applesauce Baby Carrier

March 31, 2009 by

I’m a baby wearer; well I used to be anyway. With Sabreena and Shaun all I knew about carriers were the Baby Bjorn style. But when I was pregnant with Shae I learned there was so much more out there in terms of comfort, color, purpose and style.

My favorite baby carrier when she was an infant was a Peanut Shell sling. It cradled her tight and she always fell asleep. I was then introduced to a Moby Wrap. I used it all the time; the park, the beach, apple picking, the mall. It was fabulous until I started worrying that the material was too stretchy under her growing weight. My holds didn’t feel as secure as they once did so I stopped using it. I then periodically used a Didymos wraparound sling, same concept at the Moby but no stretch. This style didn’t work for me, it was probably user error though because my arms would fall asleep if I tried the back carry. So this winter there was no baby-wearing for me.

The heavens must have had pity on me and realized my sadness because I was sent a full buckle mei tai carrier from Olives and Applesauce. First I want to say how much I love this stunningly gorgeous fabric. Second, it is so well padded that the straps didn’t twist and dig the way another not-worthy enough to be mentioned Mei Tai did when Shae was only 20lbs. The greatest bonus for me was being able for the 1st time to put her on my back with no assistance. Shae and I ran some errands on Saturday and each time I got her out of the car I strapped her to my back instead of grabbing the stroller. She wrapped her little arms around me the entire time like that was where she was supposed to be. I thank Olives and Applesauce for a fabulous design and bringing me back to baby-wearing.

Like most mommy-friendly products out there, Olives and Applesauce was born out of necessity. Being a new mom, Caren (mother of Olives and Applesauce) found herself constantly holding her 1st son and letting the world pass her by. When a friend introduced her to baby-wearing she soon realized that life didn’t have to the way it was. She quickly got back into a routine of living with her son close by and hasn’t turned back since. And with baby #3 on the way life is only going to get more hectic but all is good when her boys are close to her heart.




Our night at the Circus-AWESOME

March 27, 2009 by

First let me start off by thanking Mom Central and Feld Entertainment for an amazing evening. My family went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Over the Top last night and it was the most fun we’ve all had as a family in a long time. If you get the chance to go, GO! It has been at least 25 years since I’ve been to the circus and my kids have never been and Rob couldn’t remember ever going either so this was a memory we will cherish for a long time.

Mom Central set us up with a nice meet and greet before the actual show were we met other mom bloggers. But even better we got to meet the circus performers and take pictures then head to the stage area and watch a circus carnival with dancers, stilt walkers, acrobats and jugglers. They had costumes to try on and props to sit on and everyone was so welcoming and sweet. You’d imagine having to deal with so many people all the time you might get tired of smiling and posing for pictures but these people were NOT. Gracious and inviting is how they treated everyone.

We took way too many pictures so I’m sharing way too many with you but honestly they don’t do the circus justice. I’m not sure what I was expecting but I was in awe most of the time. The kids didn’t make a peep expect for Shae who kept clapping and saying “yayyyyyyyy”. She cheered the elephants and dogs and motorcycles. Tom the Clown was a huge hit with Shaun, his favorite part was when Tom heckled a late comer and used her cell phone to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Sabreena’s favorite act was the Trapeze, the flying artists were so graceful and precise it was absolutely amazing. I must say the Rob and I share the same favorite, 7 motorcycles in a steel ball. I was so freaked out that we were going to witness a crash I thought my eyes were going to bug out of my head. This stunt had to take sooooo much precision and timing and trust, again I was in admiration the whole time.





Jellybean Apparel-Etsy Find

March 26, 2009 by
My pregnant sister is in for a rude awakening if he thinks she’s going to find super cute maternity clothes in her regular stores. I mean simple tees and jeans and dresses are easy to find but she’s going to want hip and fun clothing to show off her bump. JellyBeanApparel makes the stuff my sister is going to want.
These are my 2 faves for my sister!

I even love that they have hysterical daddy tees. My brother-in-law needs this one, it even comes in Phillies colors LOL.

Now comes the task of picking one out to buy for her.




Snack and Play Travel Tray

March 9, 2009 by

I’ve mentioned before how far we live from our family. The closest relatives are my parents at about an hour drive. This means a lot of time in the car, which also means always packing enough things for the kids to do so that the ride is more comfortable and fun.

The Snack and Play Travel Tray has transformed car rides from the hand-that-to-the-baby-game to she-hasn’t-made-a-peep-silence. Shae is now able to read her favorite HUGE seek and find Sesame Street book, have her cup and a little snack all at once just by having this convenient tray strapped to her carseat. In the past the book was leaning on her knees and her cup was wedged under her arm and a snack was out of the question. The Snack and Play Travel Tray has huge mesh pockets to hold all the goodies any kid would need. Extra books, paper, crayons, a spare binky and Pepperidge Farm goldfish are stored in reserve for every car ride. Her things stay on the tray thanks to the deep rim and because it’s made from foam there isn’t much weight put on her legs so no discomfort.

I’m going to try this next on our stroller. With its simple buckle fastener I’m sure I won’t have a problem attaching it. I’m sure this would also be perfect for airplane rides, those in the seat trays are too small and too far away for a little one to utilize. Thanks to mommy inventor Alyson Probst to giving us something we all knew we needed. Check out StarKidsProducts for a list of retailers near you or to become a retailer yourself.
Snack and Play Travel Tray is a PlayDate Pick.




The Bashful Sheep

March 5, 2009 by

I live for accessories, that and baby shoes. I love hats, bags, socks and SCARVES. I just got the greatest present, a knitted scarf in yummy chocolate brown. I’m not talking a regular old boring winter scarf, I’m talking a looooong silky soft furry wrap around your neck for the heck of it scarf. Stacia has been knitting for quite a while now and is finally offering her handmade goods at The Bashful Sheep on Etsy. (pardon my clothes, I’m on my way to work out)

One of my very first blog posts was about dryer balls. I went ahead and made some, they came out ok but The Bashful Sheep put mine to shame. Seriously who thought laundry aids could be so cute. I got 2 gorgeous Kelly green polka dot dryer balls. When I took them out of the packaging I thought I lost them forever as Shae immediately took them out of my hands and walked away from me.

If you are not familiar with dryer balls in general they help decrease drying time and help naturally soften clothing. Since they are made with 100% wool they are a natural, chemical free “green” alternative to commercial dryer sheets.

Check out The Bashful Sheep’s cute dryer ball designs and luxurious scarves. Keep an eye out, she plans on restocking soon and will also take custom orders.




Have greener lips with Merry Hempsters

March 3, 2009 by

Traditional lip products that use a petroleum base don’t actually restore lips as petroleum acts as a moisture barrier and isn’t absorbed into the skin. In order to heal lips the ingredients should be beneficial to the skin and have healing properties. Organic lip balms from Merry Hempsters are made from natural products such as hemp seed oil, beeswax, olive and sunflower oils and natural extracts. Hemp seed oil contains a high amount of poly unsaturated essential fatty acids; this makes it wonderful to balance dry skin and lips. Merry Hempsters moisturizing formula goes on smoothly but not greasy like other lip balms. I have the vanilla flavor in my bedroom and tangerine is kept downstairs.

Merry Hempsters is dedicated to providing effective natural body care products that are environmentally sustainable. They strive to be environmentally responsible for the entire life of their products. This includes using tree-free paper produced from hemp stock and post-consumer recycled materials for their correspondence and packaging. Merry Hempsters ultimate goal is find a biodegradable plastic to use as their tubing so that when it is discarded it will grow into the resin from which it was made.

They don’t just produce lip balm; check out their balms and salves for Bumps and Bruises, Muscle Rubs and Tattoo Balm to ensure proper skin healing. Merry Hempsters can be found at Whole Foods Markets and local natural products stores and wellness centers.




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