Shark Steamer February 20, 2010

I really must say the shark steamer is really something! I have been looking for chemical free cleaning products for a while now. Since my little one is on the move now it is much more important to keep those bad chemicals away from her.  I am really impressed with this steamer!  There are a lot of attachments so there are lots of ways to clean your home as well as steam your clothes too!  It comes in a nice bag to keep all of the attachments together in one place which in it self is a nice bonus.  It takes a small amount of water in the tank and you are off!  I was impressed that you did not have to fill it up a couple of times just to do one area.  I could move on to the next project and still have plenty of water left in the tank.  The duster attachment (shown in this picture) works very nicely with cleaning the pesky banisters.  I no longer dread cleaning my shower with the other cleaners I would be overcome with fumes from the cleaner.  Now I can clean the shower doors easily with the glass attachment.  The soap scum just melts right off the door.

Over all this is a great buy for any home.  There are a lot of options for cleaning your stove right down to the toilets.  It seems to be prices high however when you see what this steamer can do it is well worth the money!  I am looking forward to adding the Shark Steam Mop sometime in the future.  Thank you Shark Steamer for making my home chemical free!

Cloud B Twilight Sea Turtle ~ PTPA Award Winner February 17, 2010

I have to agree this is a wonderful product!  I have been using the Sleep Sheep with my daughter since day one and she loves it!  I cannot wait to get her the next step up which would be the twilight turtle.  Please feel free to click on the link for read my fellow PTPA momma’s review.

Cloud B Twilight Sea Turtle ~ PTPA Award Winner

Turning devices into dollars February 15, 2010

I was listening to the radio this morning and heard about this great idea! Selling your old electronics for money!!  That is right mooo laaa!!  How many of us have to get the latest and greatest new cell phone only for the old one to sit in the drawer well now here is a site that can help you. I have to share.

What to do with them

There’s no shortage of options for selling, donating or recycling your old cell phone, television or computer.

Erase it. While many companies wipe your data for you, most people choose to erase the data themselves.

•For personal computers and laptops, check with your local tech store before handing over potentially sensitive information to a third party. Data-erasing software programs are available for purchase or download.

•For cell phones, get instructions for your particular device here: recellular.com/recycling/data_eraser

Donate it. Do an Internet search for “donating cell phones” and a bevy of organizations pop up. To find a group near you, visit AmericanCellPhoneDrive.org and type in your ZIP code.

Sell it. If you’re device still has value, score spending cash at one of these Web sites:

•Gazelle.com

•YouRenew.com

•BuyMyTronics.com

Recycle it. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency partners with retailers to provide drop-off locations for recycling electronics.

Cell phones

epa.gov/waste/partnerships/plugin/cellphone/index.htm

Computers

epa.gov/waste/partnerships/plugin/computers.htm

Televisions

epa.gov/waste/partnerships/plugin/televisions.htm

Full story on http://www.wgnradio.com/business/ct-biz-0215-yourenew-20100212,0,2343129.story?page=1

Drink up baby! February 5, 2010

Did you wonder when it would be a good time to give your baby water?  Well it turns out that babies need water all the time and incorporating it in with formula and breast milk feedings is good for your baby!  It will help your baby with learning a new flavor in their bottle or sippy cup. Usually around the 5-6 month mark is ok for babies.  Depending on if you are on well water or not your baby can have water right from the tap just like momma.  If you are on well water your doctor may recommend  purified water for your babies.

 With all the crawling, kicking, running, jumping, and skipping that our lil’ tots do, it’s not surprising that their bodies need a whole lot of H20 to keep up.  The more water they drink now, the less likely they will turn up their noses to it when they’re a bit older and aware of the tantalizing, sugary beverages out there.  In the name of health grab some H2O for your baby!

*******************Always check with your Doctor first***********************

Mabel’s Lables February 1, 2010

Posted my a fellow momma of PTPA. Check out this recent review of Mables Labels. The time will come when I need to label clothing, shoes and other things of my daughters, so they don’t get caught up in the mix of other kids stuff.

Click the link this is too good not to share!

Mabel’s Labels ~ PTPA Award Winner

My mom said she learned how to swim. Someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. That’s how she learned how to swim. I said, ‘Mom, they weren’t trying to teach you how to swim.’ ~Paula Poundstone January 25, 2010

I had a fellow momma chat today about when you should teach your child how to swim.  I was surprised to hear that her pediatrician told her to wait to teach her child to swim until her child is over a year old?!?!  When asked why there was no clear reason given to her she did not understand either why.  Your child spends 9 months in your belly in water! It is it natural to them and can be comforting to them to be in water at a young age.  I am really confused by this pediatrician would say this to her? I told her that the hospital that I had my daughter at offered swimming lessons for babies as young as 3 months old! 

As soon as my daughter was born I signed her up for the 3 month mark I was so excited!!  The hospital offered to have the lessons in a warm water therapy pool,  I was super excited about my daughter was not going to freeze her butt of in a cold water lap pool!! When I informed my fellow momma of this she was super excited about this and wanted to know all the details of these swim lessons for babies.  I made it clear that my kid is not olympic swimmer after these lessons it was just strictly to get her ready to be in a larger body of water.  By the end of the six weeks of lessons my baby was able to go under water with her mouth closed, she enjoyed floating on her back as well!

Really when should you teach your young child to swim?  What is the right age?  Do you think they are ready?  More importantly are YOU ready as a parent to teach your child to swim? I say to all you fellow momma’s get your kid out there!  You are the parent!  You know what is right and wrong for your child and only you know what they can and cannot handle.  There are too many “rules” out there what you should do and not do to teach your child the world use your best judgement as a parent!

Saving the planet one diaper at a time! January 23, 2010

Many people these days don’t want to consider using cloth diapers due to the amount of time and effort you need to put into them.  We are these days in the need to get things done and fast including diaper changes.  So well before my baby was born I wanted to make a change and go back old school to cloth diapers.  Everyone in my family thought I was loosing my mind and blamed it on baby brain! Haha I was very serious and wanted to do it.  I did my research on them to see what was out there since by now there had to be a “system” that would make it somewhat easier.  Well there was and I fell head over heals for them right away and it doesn’t take much more time than putting in a load of laundry.  The product that I use full-time since my daughter was born is called  BumGenius and it is!    I ordered a dozen diapers to start to make sure this is what I really wanted to do.  Now it is 10 months later and I am still going strong on the diapers I have never run out which is great!  I wash them about every two days or so.

WASHING

• First I was them in my laundry room sink in HOT water.
• I then run them through the washing machine twice on HOT!! (NO SOAP!!!) The diaper can hold the soap in the diaper and it can then burn the skin.  Not so comfortable for baby.
• Last process line dry them it saves on the ware and tear on the diapers in the long run.  It should only take over night.  I place mine on a drying rack in the bathroom over the vent it normally will be dry over night.

Interested in trying out this product I found them on many websites.  My order was place on www.CottonBabies.com  The order arrives in a timely fashion and I have never had a problem with dealing with them.  So check it out and see if it is the right fit for you and your family today!

Baby Socks… January 23, 2010

Are you tired of loosing tinny little baby socks in the washer and dryer?  I don’t know about you all, I also hate sorting baby socks!  The cloths are enough to handle.  I wanted to share my solution to those small little baby socks.  I have invested in diaper pins.  Yes diaper pins, they actually still make them they have so many good uses and not just for the old fashion cloth diapers.  I usually end up pinning at least two pair together and throwing them in the hamper to be washed.  I just keep them pinned in the drawer until they are ready to be used.  I have never lost a pair yet!  so go out and make your life easier and get some diaper pins for those small little socks.

Evenflo Symphony 65 Convertible Car Seat – Circles by Evenflo January 23, 2010

I just want to give my review of this car seat!  I was very pleased with how easy this seat is to use.  My 9 month old was growing out of her infant seat.  I did a ton of research on the next step and found that this seat was perfect for her!!  I was so glad to find that it was easy to use!  It will take only seconds to move it from one car to the other.  The only down fall is that we have a Pilot and we have to place her seat in the middle in the back. My husband and I are tall and need the leg room up front. Since she needs to be rear facing still we also had to place a towel under the seat to accommodate the recline. She falls asleep every time she is in the car so I know she is comfortable.  Love that the shoulder straps are easily moved to accommodate the winter coat.  Looking forward to using this seat for a long time!