What are your favorite back-to-school products and tips?
August 2, 2010 at 9:37 am | Posted in Elementary Age, Gear, Swell Tip | Leave a comment
Where did summer go? The smell of freshly sharpened pencils is in the air. Here in Longmont, CO, our kids start going back to school in two weeks. This is our first summer break, and I can’t believe how fast it’s gone by! As I look over the lists for school supplies, I’m wondering what your favorite products and tips for the school year are. What makes your (and your kids) lives easier during the school year? Send me your ideas through Facebook, comments on this blog, or e-mail avbehmer@msn.com. I look forward to hearing about some swell things.
Secret weapon for fighting the nighttime fussies.
July 18, 2010 at 8:00 am | Posted in Baby Shower Gift, Gear, Infants | 1 Comment
Exercise ball. Bounce the baby to bliss. I was recently reading about the nighttime fussies that some infants experience – that witching hour from 5:00 p.m. or so and later during which infants cry inconsolably for what seems to be no reason – and how doctors don’t know why it happens and that in some countries it’s nonexistent. Our secret weapon for the nighttime fussies has been the exercise ball. When the fussies start, we held our babies or put them in a front carrier, sat on an exercise ball, and bounced lightly. For our two youngest, the bouncing worked quickly to stop the crying (thought it started back quickly if we stopped bouncing). We got a little bit of a break from the physical work of rocking and could be entertained by watching television or reading. It also worked for our niece, though her parents rue the day they started the ball because at nine months she still likes to be bounced to sleep.
With our third child, we had to purchase a new exercise ball as the original finally gave out and popped on a sharp rock in our driveway (why was the exercise ball in our driveway? you may ask. Because our older kids like to roll around on it outside, of course. And kick it over the gate onto the gravel driveway). We bought Reebok’s Stayball, which seems to have some kind of sand in the bottom to help it stay put. I wasn’t to keen on it until our five-year-old tried to bounce it in the house, and it just won’t bounce. Five-year-old proof. Sweet.
To buy: Target, Wal-mart, sports stores and online. $14.99+
Nice kids pajamas for a song.
July 16, 2010 at 8:00 am | Posted in Clothing and Footwear, Elementary Age, Great Gifts, Preschoolers | Leave a comment
Faded Glory Two-Piece PJ’s. Wal-mart strikes again. As much as I try to avoid Wal-mart, the store has become a good buddy (can’t say new best friend, just can’t) since the birth of our third child. I just have that much less time to get to the store, and at Wal-mart I can get most of what we need with one stop. In any case, my daughter received two pairs of pajamas for her birthday. The pajamas turned out to not only have the characters she loves but they’re really soft (not itchy, scratchy or stiff) and only $5.00 at Wal-mart! I expect they’ll last as long as our daughter can fit into them. On a recent trip, I found a large display of the pajamas with lots of options for boys and girls preschool and elementary age and without any characters.
To buy: Wal-mart. $5.00
Me Love Cookies.
July 14, 2010 at 8:00 am | Posted in Elementary Age, Food, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Leave a comment
Ice Box Bakery. Cookie Monster’s dream. Just to be fair here, to put all the cards on the table, I have to share that I love cookies. They are by far my absolute favorite dessert, and I will eat them over any other offering (though good, dark chocolate is hard to pass up). I have been thinking about doing a tour of bakery bought cookies and sharing my favorite, but, until I get to do something so yummy, Ice Box Bakery came strongly recommended by a friend, Page. In the sea of locally produced food products that Boulder is, Page met Ice Box Bakery owner’s husband at a park and was fortunate to try Ice Box Bakery’s product – wholesome, all natural, ready made cookie dough. Can’t wait to try them!
To buy: Available at Boulder’s Whole Foods Store and nationwide.
Stellar Strollers for Savoring Summer Strolls.
June 30, 2010 at 9:02 pm | Posted in Baby Shower Gift, Gear, Infants, Preschoolers, Toddlers | Leave a comment
Maclaren Quest, Graco Duoglider, and Joovy Caboose Stand-On. These strollers make strides. We might take strollers a little too seriously, but we tend to use them quite a bit on frequent walks to the park. They can also be an invaluable tool for tying kids down in airports (and stores, parking lots, etc.). So these are our favorites – different uses and tested with 3 kids of varying ages.
The Maclaren Quest (first one pictured) is our favorite single child stroller for kids who can already sit (doesn’t work with infants or an infant carrier). It’s light weight, easy peasy to fold up (I’ve done it with one hand) and put in the car (thanks to the nice side handle once it’s folded), and the basket is usable. It is also a good fit for dads, with hand bars at a good height and able to accommodate a longer stride. Our kids were always comfortable in it and able to take a nap. This stroller is well made and will easily make it through our third child. It was a top choice of parents when we lived in NYC (and those parents do a lot of walking).
When we had two little kids (two under the age of two), we also used the Graco Duoglider. This was my pick for a double stroller – you can put a carseat carrier on it, a bigger toddler or even preschooler can fit in the back seat and take a nap, and the front to back seats make maneuvering in stores much easier than the side to side seats. I also found the handle bars more comfortable than strollers with side to side seats. The basket is extra large, too, for all the other baby gear. Ours came with a cupholder and lidded compartment, which I used a lot. It’s a bit heavier and folding is easy but takes two hands to put in the car.
With the newest family addition, we now have two bigger kids and an infant. I wanted a stand-on stroller because the big kids tend to want to get in and out of the stroller and no longer need to have a seat for a nap. We chose the Joovy stand-on over other brands because it has a “jump seat” or standing platform in the back, it accommodates several different kinds of infant carseats, and reviews I read said it was better constructed and a better fit for a dad. Our four-year-old daughter loves the jump seat and platform. Our five-year-old son would love it too, but the stroller is not quite made to hold his 50 pounds. The basket is a little hard to get into, and I’d recommend getting the parent organizer. Easy to fold-up but heavier than expected when I put it in the car.
We’ve had many happy strolls in these strollers! What are your favorites?
To buy: Lots of online sites and prices vary and change. Maclaren, $185.00+. Graco Duoglider, $139.00+. Joovy, $129.00+.
Obscenely helpful clothing item (girls, you have to see the pictures).
June 29, 2010 at 8:00 am | Posted in Baby Shower Gift | Leave a comment
Clothing if you pump. Hands-free for the busy mom. So, you may be wondering. What exactly is this item? Many women will not need it, but, in all honestly, you have to see the pictures if you’ve never seen one before (it’s hilarious looking on. May be embarrassing for men). A hands-free pumping bra. I call it “obscenely helpful” because they really look just a little bit obscene, but they are extremely helpful. When our youngest was born six weeks early, I used a breast pump for two months. With the hands-free pumping bra, which a friend bought me as a baby gift, I could work on my computer while pumping, and the time flew by. If you know a mom who plans to pump (or didn’t plan to because baby had to stay in the NICU), this is a great gift. Also worth the money if you buy one for yourself (although weird to buy if you’re not pumping. :))
To buy (and just see the pictures): Easy Expressions. $27.00-$33.99
Craft, garden ornament, gift, and keepsake all in one!
June 27, 2010 at 8:00 am | Posted in Elementary Age, Great Gifts, Preschoolers, Toddlers | 1 Comment
Stepping Stone Kits. A barrel of fun in one package. We try to buy very few toys for our kids. But somehow, between our two older kids, we have become almost overrun with toys. We actually have overflow into our garage (granted our house is small and there’s no playroom, but the kids’ room is spilling over). So, for birthday gifts I like to give something less toy-ish. On a recent birthday gift hunt for a – five-year-old girl, I came across a great, toyless gift – a well-priced garden stepping stone kit at Target. Seeing this kit, I remembered when I received my stepping stones from my kids, with their handprints, for a mother’s day gift. I love uncovering them every spring. And my mom has done one every summer of the grandkids’ hands for the last 5 years. The kids can literally walk down memory lane, remembering when they made their stones and comparing their hand sizes. I love this as a gift, craft, garden ornament and keepsake!
To buy: Target. $9.99 in store or make your own kit for even less
A cartoon series for the whole family.
June 25, 2010 at 8:00 am | Posted in Elementary Age, Entertainment, Preschoolers | 2 Comments
“Avatar: The Last Airbender.” 12 Year Olds Saving the World. Today I was an unmotivated, tired momma. After a less than average sleepful night with our youngest, I let the two older kids watch some television this afternoon (hoping the morning trip to the library offset the television watching) while I napped. We saw the preview for the movie “The Last Airbender,” coming out July 1. I was reminded about how excited for this movie! For those who haven’t seen the cartoon, the movie is an unanimated version of the cartoon, “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (not to be confused with the James Cameron movie). While I was pregnant (i.e. also unmotivated and tired) and during the winter, we as a family watched the entire three seasons (or Books) of “Avatar.” And they are really good! Michael and I really liked watching them and were sad when we finished the series. One of the things I like best is that the two main female characters have strong personalities and play important roles in the show (no wimpy girls here!). Our kids play “Avatar,” and our daughter is especially at the beautiful moves of “bending.”
From Nickelodean about the cartoon, “Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Only the Avatar was the master of all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless Fire Nation from conquering the world. But when the world needed him most, he disappeared. Until now… On the South Pole, a lone Water Tribe village struggles to survive. It’s here that a young Waterbender named Katara and her warrior brother Sokka rescue a strange boy named Aang from a cavernous iceberg. Not only is Aang an Airbender–a race of people no one has seen in a century–but they soon discover that Aang is also the long lost Avatar. Now it’s up to Katara and Sokka to make sure Aang faces his destiny to save the tribe–and himself. Did we mention he’s only 12?”
To watch: “Avatar: The Last Airbender” cartoon on Nickelodeon on demand, Netflix, and Blockbuster and “The Last Airbender” movie out July 1 (yeah!!)
Because parenting doesn’t end when the sun goes down.
June 23, 2010 at 8:00 am | Posted in Bedtime, Books, Infants, Toddlers | Leave a comment
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Dreaming about a good night’s sleep. With a newborn in the house again, I am looking forward to that day when I again get to sleep for more than four hours at a time. A friend introduced me to this book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, when we had our first child. The advice and step-by-step program have worked wonders with our first two children to get them to napping and sleeping . . . and I can’t wait to be able to use it with our third.
To buy: Used and new. $1.95-$16.00
A game kids and parents enjoy.
June 22, 2010 at 8:00 am | Posted in Elementary Age, Great Gifts, Preschoolers, Swell Activities, Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Bean bag toss. AKA cornhole. Soon after our youngest was born, we received a bean bag toss game as a gift for the kids. They had a blast aiming the bean bags and trying to get points. Michael and I tried the game out and also had a blast. I have recollection of spending a holiday at a friends’ house, and the adults having a good time competing in cornhole. Sitting down with drinks in hand. This is one of those games you can easily play when you have energy or very little energy – just tossing. And the younger ones can do all the picking up!
To buy: Bean bag toss games are available from a number of stores, including Target, Walmart and Amazon. $20.00-85.00. There are plans online to make your own. We love the three different level holes in ours, from Dick’s Sporting Goods. $39.99
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