3 Summer Finds you'll love too

I've been meaning to put this new post up for weeks, but the summer just flew by and here it is Labor Day and now I'm finally getting around to it.  A bit too late for this summer, but at least it will be up here for next!

A few weeks ago, I posted about my favorite outdoor toy and how much fun my girls and I had playing with our water table.  In addition to our water table, I'd like to add a few other items to the list of favorite summer finds.

Cool find #1: Bubble machine

Bubbles are always fun for everyone, especially when I don't have to do all the bubble blowing!  I found this Turbo Bubble Machine and it has been a hit in our house.  It runs on batteries (which we still haven't had to change yet!) and is simple enough to use that my 1-year old can turn it on and off herself.  Just dump a little bubble soap in there and wa-laa!  Entertainment for the masses.  Unfortunately, I think I've become a bubble snob now, because I won't even consider an old fashioned bubble wand anymore.

Cool find #2: Pool Floatie

Back in July, we had Kid #1's 3rd birthday party.  For the second year in a row that day was quite possibly the hottest day of the year.  Thankfully, we have an in-ground pool in our backyard and planned a pool party, so we were able to keep our party guests from melting.  Up till this point, Kid #1 (who is not swimming yet and still very scared of the pool) had been wearing regular swimmies (ie, "water wings") whenever she was in the pool area.  But several of our party guests arrived with a much much cooler version and I knew it was something we had to have immediately.  I actually couldn't believe I'd never seen them before, as I always like to stay current on the cool mom finds, as you know.  Check out the "Puddle Jumper" PFD if you've never seen it before.

10x better than regular swimmies.  It does a great job at holding my daughter upright in the pool and I think will give her just the confidence she needs next summer to venture into the deep end.

Cool find #3: Monkey bar buddies shorts

Girl mommas, you might relate here.  I love my girls in cute little sundresses in the warm weather, but do not appreciate seeing a little girl's underwear when she hangs upside-down at the playground.  (Call me modest if you must.)  Kid #2's sundresses are baby sizes and they all come with a diaper cover for under the dress, but Kid #1 is in toddler and girl size clothing and many of them don't have anything to cover the diaper/pull-up/underwear underneath.  I set out in search of the perfect "panty cover" (oh, ick how I loathe that word!) and my good pal Google pointed me to these Monkeybar Buddies shorts (also available at Target.com)  They are a soft spandex-ey material and are so perfect for under Kid #1's dresses.  Definitely buying more for next summer!

Cute little teethmarks

When Kid #1 was about Kid #2's age (around age 1) I went into her room after she was obviously NOT taking a nap to find that she had chewed on her crib rail. Her crib is a dark brown "espresso" color and she had espresso colored bits all around her mouth and cheeks. It was terrifying! She looked like some sort of demon baby.

(Wouldn't you know that I recently also found Kid #2 in a similar state, but slightly less scary since her crib is white. We had to remove Kid #1's crib rail cover to use in Kid #2's room. So just today I got a good look at those newly uncovered, very obvious against the dark colored wood, two year old, cute little teethmarks on Kid #1's crib and it gave me a major flashback to the day she made them. Aw. I'm a little nostalgic actually.)

Back to my story...
After cleaning Kid #1 up, I immediately jumped online to check out the crib rail covers on the BabiesRUs website. Of course, nothing they sold was going to work for me because my genius daughter was not chewing on the front crib rail... She was chewing on the curved decorative side rail!

In my travels of various baby message boards and mommy blogs, I remembered reading about a DIY no-sew crib rail, so off I went to the fabric store to get some fleece fabric. Armed only with a couple rulers and a scissor, I managed to fashion a pretty decent crib rail cover for all four sides of the crib.

I don't really have directions for you to follow. If you look at the picture above that I stole from someone's "tutorial," I'm sure you can figure it out. You basically just cut strips and tie them between the crib slats. Have faith. If I can do it, you can too.

Favorite outdoor toy for summer

I'm home for the summer with my 3-year old and 1-year old. The three of us are loving our time together and enjoying the warm (ok, sometimes HOT) weather outdoors. Perhaps lucky for me, my 3-year old is as cautious as her mom used to be and is a little scared of our backyard pool so we haven't spent much time in there. It's no fun for me anyway with two kids clinging to me for dear life.

We do have a small kiddie pool, which the 3-year old enjoys. The 1-year is not quite walking and doesn't really want to sit in the kiddie pool without me. It was quite a sight to see all three of us "swimming" in the kiddie pool last week.
For keeping cool and entertained this summer, my favorite outdoor toy is the water table. Both my girls absolutely love it. It's the perfect height that the 1-year old can stand, play, and have something to hold onto and I don't have to be right there behind her every second. The 3-year old has a ton of fun with her watering can and buckets. I love that they can play together and I don't have to chase them in opposite directions around the backyard.

Once the weather gets cool again we always put sand in our water table for even more hours of enjoyment.
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Hi, I'm a Momparazzi

Can I assume that all moms are photo-happy like I am? I've taken thousands of pictures of my children already and Kid #1 has not even yet reached the age of 3. I'm like the paparazzi of moms. I'm a Momparazzi!

The next question, then, is what do you do with all those photos? And is anyone else but you going to get to look at them? I would go broke if I tried to print them all out. And I wouldn't even want to print them out because I have no time to compile photo albums anymore and no place to store big bulky photo albums anyway.

But I do like to have some photos printed in a non-digital/non-computer format and I do like to be able to share photos with family, so I have found a friend in Shutterfly.

One of my solutions to my photo mania has been to create a photo sharing site on shutterfly. There, I upload the best of my pictures every month or so. I also add journal entries from time to time to keep track of how the kids are growing and share some of the milestones they reach. The people who benefit most from this are my siblings, parents, and in-laws because they are the ones who actually do want to see all the thousands of my pictures. I've added friends and other relatives as members of my share site as well, but I can set it so they receive site updates much less frequently than the immediate family. I don't want anyone to feel that I'm spamming them with my photos!

It must be a trendsetting idea because after I set up my first share site when Kid #1 was born at least 7 or 8 friends set up their own share sites and sent me a link to view their photos. I love it because it enables me to see pictures of my friends kids growing up too!

I also like that I have a majority of my best pictures saved on the Shutterfly website. In the unfortunate event that something happened to my computer and my backup hard drive at least I'd still have my memories somewhere!

I admit that it does take time to maintain the share site, but I'm pretty obsessive-compulsive about my pictures and Shutterfly makes it as easy as possible to do.

Since all my favorite pictures are already uploaded on Shutterfly, I use the Shutterfly photo books for my family photo albums. They are much less bulky and can hold many more pictures than a traditional album. I've been making one photo book per year and think they are great memories to have!
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Baby wearers...

Do you know that baby wearing in the "facing-out" position may not be healthy for your child's development? I didn't! When Kid #1 was born I had no idea! I carried her in a "crotch- dangler" carrier - how awful! Good thing she was a chubby kid because she was so heavy I couldn't carry her like that for long... Don't think I did permanent damage. ;-)

I feel like I should help spread the word...
See these links for more information:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/jennifer-cavanagh/carrying-your-baby-facing-out-why-its-not-the-great-idea-it-seems/497892148934?refid=0

http://www.sleepywrap.com/2008/11/strollers-baby-carriers-and-infant-stress/

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Happy Mother's Day!

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A deal on a 1st birthday gift

Kid #2 is going to be a year old in about 2 weeks. (OMG! That went too fast!)

For her birthday, I wanted to get her a personalized beanbag chair from Pottery Barn Kids for her bedroom. They are a tad on the expensive side, but oh so cute, so I was planning to go ahead with it anyway.

I read a few reviews on the PBK website and I came across one review that had a brilliant money-saving idea... So brilliant, in fact, that I felt the need to share: Buy just the outer beanbag cover from PBK and fill it with bean bag fill yourself. You can save a lot on shipping and eliminate the extra delivery surcharge from PBK. I was able to find a great deal on bean bag fill at walmart.com (I purchased 8 cubic feet of bean bag fill total, shipped "ship to store" to get free shipping - it filled the PBK bean bag perfectly) Coupled with a 10% off discount code at PBK, I wound up saving about $50-$60!

As you can tell in the photo, Kid #2 loves it. And she is also too tall for her pants.
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Lil DaVinci art cabinets

I have difficulty throwing things away. Kid #1 comes home from her arts & crafts programs at the library with numerous cute little creations and I want to save them all, but have no place to put them. And now she wants to hang them all up on the wall because she is so proud of them. I was looking for a way to display my daughter's artwork in our playroom in some sort of frame and I came across these art cabinets. http://www.dynamicframes.com/store/c/159-Kids-Art-Frame.aspx

They are exactly what I was looking for! It can store up to 50 sheets of paper so it doubles as a storage cabinet. The hinged door allows you to insert new artwork easily without having to open the frame up from the back. The different sized cabinets accommodate different sized works of art. Looking at them hanging in our playroom makes both Kid #1 and I happy!
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Bibs...

Just a quick post about bibs. I have favorites. I feel like I should share.

I was blessed with two children who were big spitter-uppers. For most of their first 9 months, my girls both had to wear bibs all day long or else I'd have to change their clothes several times a day. And even with the bibs, I did my fair share of outfit changes. Couple the spit-up with the drool once teething set in and I realized I needed to find myself a bib that did it's job the right way.

My favorite bibs for daily wear (for drool/spit-up) are the Carter's Teething bibs (formerly called the Dribble Happy bibs) Many, many cutesie designs available, like these: (click here). They're a 3 layer bib with a protective water barrier inside and they really do the job to keep your little one dry. My only complaint was that the velcro closure on the old ones wore out after numerous wearings and washings. However, I'm happy to report that they seem to have fixed that problem with the newer ones.

While we're talking about bibs, I also have a favorite brand of waterproof bib for mealtime.... My girls wear Bumkins superbibs. I love a few things about them. 1) More cutesie designs, 2) They have that little pocket that catches all the food that babies drop, 3) They wipe easily, and 4) They are machine washable and hold up after many many trips through the washing machine. Bumkins also makes these bibs with sleeves if you have a really messy kid. I haven't tried those. Looks too silly to me. I am also amused, but intrigued, by the Supersized Superbib, which is long enough to cover the lap. I'm thinking that one might be good for eating on-the-go.

Ruffles + Cute baby butts = Rufflebutts!!

Mommas of baby girls, this might possibly be the absolute cutest way to show off chunky baby thighs this summer! Rufflebutts carries the bloomers and swing top that you see on Kid #2 in the photo above and a bunch of other to-die-for ruffle adorned baby girl items, all of which I wish I had. The cheapskate in me won't buy them for full price, but I've been able to catch them on sale. Now I just need those animal print ones to go on sale and I'll be a happy camper.

You need something muslin, trust me

I think the world was willing me to discover baby products made of muslin fabric. Everywhere I looked, on every website, fanpage, discussion board, magazine I read I was seeing muslin swaddles, or muslin sleeping bags, or muslin blankets, etc. I gathered that muslin is supposedly a soft, breathable fabric, perfect for swaddling babies. But I knew nothing of this company I was reading about over and over... Aden + Anais??? Mommies all over have been shouting their praises for this company and their products. Finally it caught my eye.

I'm a self professed bargain hunter (ok, you can say I'm cheap if you want), so when I first checked out the Aden + Anais website, I'll admit I was turned off by the prices. Who in their right mind would pay so much for a blanket? I have a million baby blankets. I certainly don't need anymore!

Well, I've since changed my mind. My curiosity got the best of me so, with the help of a gift certificate (because I'm cheap, remember?), I recently acquired my first Aden + Anais products: a Dream blanket, and a Classic sleeping bag. Kid #2 needed a new sleepsack for the summertime anyway, so at least I could justify that purchase!

The package arrived and my first interaction with my new fancy muslin products was a little disappointing. They were kind of soft and the prints I'd chosen were cute, but neither feature impressed me enough to explain what all the fuss was about with these products. And the muslin fabric kind of resembled a glorified cheesecloth.

Determined to discover why moms everywhere were so in love with these blankets and sleeping bags, I tried throwing them in the wash. (The package says they get softer with every wash.) Yes, they came out a little bit softer, but I still wasn't impressed until I actually cuddled with the blanket. Yes, I said cuddled. I slept with it... and now I love it so much that I want one in adult size. When I purchased the blanket, I had every intention of giving it to my daughter, but now I don't know if I'm willing to part with it. She can have the sleeping bag. I can't fit in it anyway.

Even Kid #2 likes our new Dream blanket. I caught her playing peek-a-boo with it at 3:30am. There is just something about the texture that makes you want to touch it! And you definitely have to cuddle it to understand the craze!! I'm officially sold on muslin fabric now and I definitely think another purchase is in my future!

A shower "system"

I know I'm not the only idiot who's bad case of Mommy Brain causes her to be unable to remember whether she has already shampooed her hair in the shower. Talk about short-term memory loss, right? You can't get more "short-term" than this... You either washed your hair two minutes ago or you didn't!!

When I'm outside the shower, I have my trusty blackberry. I use the calendar to keep track of appointments and I'm constantly setting it to remind me of all sorts of trivial things: which kid gets a bath that night, don't forget to switch the laundry, pick up milk on the way home. My blackberry has replaced some of the part of my brain that went missing in pregnancy/childbirth.

A few months ago, I posted about my shower-related idiocy on facebook and was comforted to know that I was not the only one having this problem. One friend suggested that i come up with some sort of "system". So I did just that. And I feel like a genius because it works perfectly. I feel like a real human with a whole brain again when I'm in the shower.

You have this problem too? You need a "system" too? Have no fear. I will share.

See the picture? That's my system. The pink cap sits on top of my shampoo. When I remove it to wash my hair I put it on top of the conditioner. So now I can tell if I already used the shampoo because the pink cap has been moved. Then it goes back on top of the shampoo when I use the conditioner so it is ready for next time. So stupid yet so smart!

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Milk Bands

Another great product for the nursing moms...

I call it my "Left boob right boob bracelet", but the real name is "Milk Bands" (https://www.milkbands.com/cart/cart.php)

Any sleep-deprived mom of a newborn, knows that no matter how hard you try, it's pretty impossible to remember which side you last nursed the baby on. This alternative to the old "safety pin on the bra strap" trick is a silicon bracelet that has the word "Left" on one side and "Right" on the other. It is so simple, yet so smart!! Just flip the bracelet over to tell yourself which boob is on deck.

It also has two useful little counting sliders that you can use to track how often the baby eats or how many feedings, etc. Probably one of my most used mom finds - I don't think I took it off until my baby was 6 months old!
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The Double Meltdown and more...

Somewhat of a continuation of my previous post... here are some more things I've learned about since I've been a mommy of two...

"The Double Meltdown" - When both infant and toddler have full-blown screaming fits simultaneously. The first time it happens, a new mom of two might enter a state of pure panic. Usually results in desire to pull own hair out. Makes you realize exactly why they make you watch that "don't shake the baby" video in the hospital after birth. A sense of humor is essential for dealing with the madness. And perhaps a strong drink.

"Hurricane Toddler" - Toddler who until recently was a carefully-watched-every-moment only child and is now unleashed to inflict destruction throughout the house. Mom observes the chaos as it unfolds. She is usually sitting nearby stuck in a chair feeding or rocking a newborn, helpless to stop the destruction.

Matching outfits - Much more fun than you think. And a little addicting. I say go ahead and try it out with some matching PJ's. Make sure you take a ridiculous amount of pictures. And make sure you post them on facebook.

Moms of girls, you might enter a "Tutu Phase". This condition is worsened if you have two girls. The thought of dressing two girls in tutus is so sweet it gives me a toothache. You might buy some cheap tutus out of the dollar bin at Target. You might buy a few tutu dresses and/ or tutu leggings from the Gap and some tutu pajamas from Carters. You might look up on the internet how to make a "no-sew tutu" out of tulle and a piece of elastic (very easy, by the way... google it, or check out this link). You might even lose your mind and purchase one of these gorgeous pettiskirts from Katelyn & Co. And if you find them on babysteals.com for half off, then naturally you'd buy TWO of them.

"Ponytail Mom" - A mom who has no time to be worried about her own appearance. Usually happens by default. She considers the fact that she is actually showered to be a major accomplishment. She finds comfort in knowing that though she may leave the house looking like a mess, at least her kids look good.

oh, and one more thing... you might be Supermom and remember everything for the kids for a daily outing, but you'll probably forget to pee before you leave the house.

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"How the heck am I going to handle TWO of them???"

Hubby made the observation the other day that so many in my extended group of friends are currently in the Kid #2 stage - either planning to have the 2nd kid, pregnant with the 2nd kid, or just had the 2nd kid.

The thought of the 2nd kid makes a lot of parents nervous. I remember the panic setting in during my second pregnancy: How the heck am I going to handle TWO of them? It's a big change to go from one kid to two!! I think the anxiety level is also inversely proportional to the age difference between the two kids. My girls are 22 months apart, so I had "Two Under Two" for a short while and that in itself was a little nerve-wracking!

"How the heck am I going to handle TWO of them?". A wise woman once said (yes, you, Mom) "Where there's a will there's a way" and it is so true. You just figure it out. Must be mommy instinct, because I could do it even on days when I was so sleep-deprived I was delirious.

Now that I've experienced the life of a mom of two for a while I can verify that it definitely does feel like 1 + 1 is much more than 2 (!!)... But I've managed to do this mommy thing (pretty well, I think), AND keep my sanity too.

A friend recently asked for my two cents on preparing for baby #2, so I'm sharing some of my (somewhat haphazard) thoughts with all of you...

I just went back to work 3 weeks ago, but I was home by myself for 8 months with my two kids and could not have lived without my Ergo baby carrier or my double stroller. Both enabled me to get out of the house... which I needed to do for my sanity. Yes, it takes forever to get in and out of the car, but I tried to take one trip out of the house every day. I learned how to plan my errands strategically to avoid multiple trips in and out of the car.

Kid #2 wanted to be carried all.the.time, yet I needed my hands free to play with Kid #1. A good baby carrier was a necessity for me. I had a Baby Bjorn carrier, but it was awful on my back and almost crippled me after a 30 minute trip into Target. I used a Moby Wrap too, which was great for the newborn stage, but way too hot for sticky summer days. The Ergo baby carrier is my favorite and I still use it quite a bit! It does an amazing job of distributing the baby's weight so it doesn't kill your back. (Sidenote for anyone thinking about buying an Ergo- you'll need an infant insert to use it with small infants until they can wrap their legs around your waist comfortably.)

Something I thought about before Kid #2 arrived was whether we'd need to buy anymore baby stuff. Much of our baby gear could be handed down from Kid #1. I wondered what we'd need TWO of??? We ended up buying a second crib (Kid #1's crib is now her toddler bed so we couldn't use it for the younger one), a second changing pad and diaper pail (originally thought I could use the one we had, but Kid #1 is still in diapers at 2 1/2 and resisting potty training at the moment so we definitely use both changing pads), a second baby monitor, a second white noise machine, and a second shopping cart cover.

I also had a short list of things that I wanted to have for the new baby: a temporal scan thermometer (the forehead kind) and a bigger diaper bag (I love my Skip Hop Duo Double Deluxe! It fits everything!!)

One of my biggest worries after Kid #2 arrived, was how would I occupy Kid #1 while I was stuck in my glider chair nursing newborn Kid #2? Luckily, Kid #1 was very good at playing independently when her sister was born. I have one of my two gliders right in the playroom, so I had "special" toys that I could take down from the shelf for her to play with while I was nearby nursing the baby. I'd also read her books, occupy her with stickers, and allowed her one tv show a day to coincide with a nursing session.

So, that's my two cents. Hoping that hearing my experience might be helpful to others in the "Kid #2 stage"!!! I should also say God Bless to those mommas of 3 and more, because I don't know how you do it!
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Electric Booger sucker to the rescue!

It is unfortunate that babies are not born knowing how to blow their nose. Because a baby with a stuffy snotty nose can surely be miserable! When my baby has a cold I feel so bad because not only can't she breathe, but it makes it difficult for her to nurse too! My friend Laura G swears by the electric nasal aspirators, like the one pictured above by Graco. She could not have gotten through the past two weeks with two sick little boys at home without the help of her electric booger sucker ("Trust me parents, it's WAY better than the plastic blue bulb!"). I promised her that I'd add it to the blog so we can save other mommies with stuffed up babies.

Why is it so much better? Much quicker at booger sucking! And this is important when you already have a screaming baby on your hands.

I, of course, ran out and got one of the electric booger suckers immediately after having learned about them, but I haven't had to use it much... I am lucky that my kids have not been very snotty. On few occassions, Kid #2 has benefitted from a good booger sucking, although she is not very fond of the booger sucking process. With Kid #1 it works perfectly as a bargaining tool: I ask her if she needs to blow her nose, she says no and runs away, I threaten her with the booger sucker, and she immediately changes her mind and blows her nose into a tissue. I consider that a success.

Just a tip if you are going to try it, before using the aspirator you can loosen things up a bit in that tiny baby nose with some saline drops first.

And another trick that I haven't tried yet: Baby Vicks on the bottom of their feet (with socks on to keep it from getting messy). Supposedly this works wonders.

A quick shout-out

I have referenced my "favorite momma bargains site" a few times and figured it was time for an official shout-out. Several of my newest favorite finds have been acquired through www.babysteals.com. I've been introduced to some great products and gotten some great deals. And they have the fastest shipping known to man. Just a warning... it's a little addicting.


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New Steal Daily - 9am MDT"/>


Go "like" them on facebook (www.babysteals.com)... they're on their way to 100,000 fans!

Multitasking at its best

All you breastfeeding moms this one's for you...

Anyone who has tried the ol' double electric breast pump knows that you need about 8 hands to get the thing set up and running... and then you have to sit there for 10 minutes with no available hands while you pump.

There exists an invention that is both hysterical to look at AND a pumping mom's lifesaver: the "hands free pumping bra"!! If nothing else, check out this link just to see the picture of the woman on her cell phone with her pump horns dangling. Medela Easy Expression pumping bra

Multitaskers, you need this! Now you can use that valuable pumping time to surf the internet, grade papers, or even eat your lunch!

Home Depot: A nice little Saturday

By chance, Hubby, Kid #1, and I happened to be in Home Depot on the first Saturday of the month between 9am and 12 noon last Spring. Kid #1 (or just "the Kid" as she was known back then considering that she was not yet a big sister) was running around and trying to climb those Home Depot "stairs" that the employees use to get stuff down from the top storage racks. Upon seeing this, a nice employee told us that there was a Kids Workshop happening at that very moment and that our Kid might enjoy it if we brought her over there. So we went to check it out... And found out it is awesome!

Home Depot Kids Workshops

Each kid gets a project kit (new project each month) and an adorable child-size Home Depot apron. Though the projects are designed for kids ages 5-12, we saw plenty of younger kids there too (they just need help from mom or dad!). Kid #1 loves banging the hammers and Hubby enjoys some good daddy-daughter time working on the projects together. After your project is completed you get a pin to put on your apron. Kid #1 has started a pin collection already - so far we've made a rain gauge, a spice rack, a battery organizer, and today's project was a heart shaped wall shelf.

We had double the fun with today's heart shelf project because Kid #1 and I painted and decorated it when we got home. What a perfectly entertaining activity for a toddler (or an older child!) on a cold, cooped-up winter Saturday. And did I mention it's FREE???!!!

And here's another idea for ya... It's a great place to meet up with friends. Last month we had a play date at the Kids Workshop!

Next month: Home Depot Race Cars!! Vroom vroom.

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Mommy Brain with a side of Attention Deficit

Here are Kid #1 and Kid #2 using their snazzy shopping cart covers.... And here's why we use these much more than I ever thought we would...

I can't leave the kids home and go foodshopping alone. Having two kids has given me Mommy Brain (ie, stupidity, forgetfulness, idiocy) with a side of Attention Deficit. A trip to the supermarket involves way too much thinking for me these days. Decision-making hurts my brain. Focus is impossible.

Luckily, Hubby has not been inflicted with this same condition. So, every weekend we pack the two kids into the car and do our foodshopping together. We each push a cart so we have one for each kid. Enter... The shopping cart covers. It really is nice to not have to put a baby directly into a germy gross shopping cart. Kid #1 has a "Floppy Seat" cart cover (www.floppyseat.com) which she fills the pocket with Cheerios. Kid #2 has her (very pretty) Sarah shopping cart cover by The Bumble Collection (thebumblecollection.com) that I scored off my fave mommy bargains website for 50% off. Luckily, Kid #1 does not know to be jealous of her sister's prettier cart cover yet.

Once inside the supermarket with our two shopping carts, I follow Hubby around in a zombie-like state, unable to focus because there is always way too much going on at the supermarket. Occasionally, Hubby will ask my opinion and I will come out of my haze temporarily and answer intelligently.

You might ask why I don't just send Hubby to the supermarket by himself? Well, he has stated that he "doesn't know how to pick out the fruit". So my presence is indeed required. Plus, as long as the kids are behaving it's kind of nice and kind of fun to be out as a family.

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I'm madly in LOVE...

...with my double stroller.

I chose my first three strollers (all single strollers) pretty haphazardly and based loosely on what I'd "heard" was a good brand. And they worked just fine, but never impressed me. Now that I have my "golden child", my extensively researched and carefully chosen double stroller, I look at the other three with disdain... they are like my ratty neglected stepchildren.

I look at my double stroller the way I look at my own children. It makes my heart melt. I think it's soooo pretty! And I feel like hot stuff pushing it around because I know it gives other moms stroller envy. (Definition: Stroller envy = Coveting thy neighbors stroller.)

My double stroller gave me confidence that I could and should get out of the house with my two children, even early on when kid #2 was a newborn. (Now that I think about it, maybe I was just going out to show off my stroller???). I have taken many an excursion over the past 8 months from the grocery store to the library to the mall to the playground. And boy, this thing drives like a dream (I can steer it one-handed!), no matter the terrain.

The key to my happiness (and yours someday too maybe???) is this: I took a lonnnnnng time figuring out exactly what attributes I wanted /needed in a stroller and what I would use it for. No one ever told me to do that when I was registering for my single strollers. This time, I knew I wanted a side by side that could accommodate an infant carseat but without a very bulky adapter. I wanted rubber wheels, not plastic (y'know, for off-roading at the park) and a big accessible storage basket (ya need room for lots of shopping bags at the mall!). I found the Bumbleride Indie Twin (www.bumbleride.com) and it was love at first sight. Yes, it cost a pretty penny, but I sure got my money's worth.

So go moms... Go out in search of the stroller that will be the love of your life!


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When life gives your baby apples...

..Let her make applesauce!! Aw! Look how happy she is... chomping on some apples in her mesh feeder.

We are loving the Baby Safe Feeder (www.babysafefeeder.com) these days. Kid #2 is teething, so it's great to soothe her sore gums. At the same time we can give her "real people food" without worrying about her choking on it. I especially love that it keeps her busy long enough for me to choke down my dinner.

I pretty much think you can put anything in the mesh feeder: ice cubes, apples, bananas, frozen grapes... Cheerios... Maybe meatballs (haha!). Whatever makes baby happy!

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The Baby Crack Machine

I didn't give it that name, by the way. But if you google it, you will see that the Homedics Soundspa Lullaby is lovingly referred to as the "Baby Crack Machine" on many a momma message board.

These are awesome. If you are looking for a white noise machine, this is the one you want. We have two of them. Hubby and I go to sleep with the soothing sounds of "rain" coming out of one baby monitor and "the ocean" coming out of the other.

Kid #1 has used her Crack Machine ever since she was a baby. She is like Pavlov's dogs with this thing. In fact, when I want her to wake up from a nap (can't have her taking 3-hour naps too late in the afternoon or she'll never go to sleep at night), I go in her room and shut off the rain noise. Like clockwork, she wakes up happy as can be shortly thereafter.

Homedics SoundSpa Lullaby I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond. Don't forget your 20% off coupon!

One more reason to love the UPS man!

A few months ago I went to BabiesRUs with my two kids for our daily "outing." (Always have to get out of the house for just a little while - keeps the sanity.) That day's task was to buy diapers and wipes. So there I was... Kid #1 sitting in the cart, Kid #2 strapped to my chest, shopping cart overflowing with two economy packs of diapers, one economy pack of wipes, and my diaper bag. Kid #1 is WHINING badly because she ran out of Cheerios. The line is humongous because, of course, there is only one cashier. I could just about feel the dirty looks from the impatient customers behind me when I got to the register and chose to pay with 2 American Express gift cards, one merchandise credit, and a credit card, got caught and played dumb when I tried to sneak a coupon for Pampers Cruisers when I was buying Pampers Baby Dry, then had to go digging for a different coupon in the diaper bag that would work. I left sweating, feeling guilty about holding up the line, and with a headache from Kid #1's whining.

Times have changed. My diaper buying experience is much more enjoyable now. Thanks to a few well-placed advertisements and a recommendation from my friend Katie B, I now have diapers and wipes shipped to me automatically from Amazon.com through Amazon Mom "Subscribe and Save". If you haven't checked it out, it's worth a peek. http://www.amazon.com/gp/mom/signup/welcome. For best savings (30% off!) you set up a"Subscribe and Save" subscription for each item you need. Tell them how often you think you need it and they ship it automatically. I get my diapers in 2-days!! With Free shipping!! You get reminder emails when you have a shipment coming up and it's extremely easy to adjust the ship date if you need the item sooner or later. And if your kid goes up a diaper size, you just cancel the subscription for the old size and make a new subscription for the new size.

I know I'm sounding like an advertisement, but you can't beat the savings. And with free shipping, why should I lug the kids out for diapers anymore? Don't worry, we still go out for our daily outing. But now we have more time for fun stuff... like the animal farm, the playground... Or even better... shoe shopping!
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Me vs. The Sock Houdini

Forget about finding "kickproof" baby socks. They don't exist... Not for me and Kid #2, aka the "Sock Houdini". She now likes to pull off her socks and chew on them... Which I suppose is kinda cute for a baby, but this type of behavior is frowned upon later in life.

My solution is the soft-soled baby shoe or "crib shoe" which I assumed every mom already knew about, but was surprised to hear otherwise when I gave them as a gift at a baby shower. These are the cutest little baby shoes, available in tons of different designs for both boys and girls, and more importantly, the elastic openings keep tiny little baby socks on tiny little baby feet! And The Sock Houdini can't get these shoes off! (well, usually)

One well-known brand name is Robeez (www.robeez.com)... A tad pricey for this bargain hunter momma, though Striderite outlets carry them at discounted prices, so try there. I also like the Mini-star brand knock-offs at Target and the Koala Baby knock-offs at Babies R Us (under $15 per pair).

So if you have a Sock Houdini too, try 'em!! Bet you'll like them!
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Picky Stickies: Why didn't I think of these?

It's a sticker that you can put on your baby's onesie for a "monthly photo" each month during their first year. INGENIOUS!! My favorite mommy bargains website featured this product not long ago and I just love it. But I'm so bummed that I missed out on the opportunity to try them... Kid #2 was already half way through her first year by the time I heard about them. (I just might have to have a third kid just so I can try these out.)

www.pickysticky.com

Good baby shower gift idea!! Oh, and you graphics design gurus could probably make these yourself!!

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Get your monkey on your back!

If you know me, you know I love my Ergo baby carrier. (Thank you to Courtney S and Laura G among others for the recommendation!!) When kid #2 won't let you put her down all day and kid #1 is starving for lunch, you learn very quickly how much you love your hands-free baby carrier. The Ergo is an awesome front carrier, but also can be used for a back carry when your child is old enough (I tried when she was 6 months old). The tricky part is getting the kid back there!! This youtube link "Ergo Back Carry - easier and more secure" (hope linky works!) is where I learned the ol' "hip swing" method to get my little monkey on my back. Two things: 1) Kid #2 loves it back there, 2) You will impress your mom friends if you let them see you do this.

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Mom guru reporting for duty

Here it is, Cathy B... My Mom Blog. If I can figure out how to get this to work from my trusty blackberry, I hope to share some of the cool mom finds that I've come across. This is stuff no one told me to put on my baby registry... Great finds that I've learned about from other moms, message boards, and researched on internet sites... Things I've tried out and love so I want to share with other moms. (Dads, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas welcome too.)