NY Baby Show 2017 was the best yet!

Last Sunday at bedtime, I asked K3 what his favorite part of the day was. After spending a busy day in the city, there was a lot to consider.  He answered, "the baby show," and when I asked him why, he told me, "the people".  Of course I thought that was so sweet and adorable, but the more I thought about it that night, the more I understood how great the day was for him.  At every single stop in the huge expo hall, someone was giving him a compliment or a treat.  He got to play with a lot of new, fun baby gear, and everybody gave him tons of attention.

Here are some highlights and favorites from the day.

This was our first stop when we got inside the show, and K3 had to be bribed away from this table.  There's just something about new books.

The Pello was something that I could see all of my boys lounging on as well as something that would be convenient to pop the baby in when I'm doing laundry, getting dressed, or whatever.  I like how easy it was to carry and how soft it was.  I may just have to get one for the dog too, because she will totally try to claim it!

Trips to Fire Island would be made so much easier if I had this set up. The design of this Austlen stroller is gorgeous and the storage capacity is outrageous.  Plus, they just released beach wheels, so we could take it right down on the sand.

This Summer Infant potty had K3 captivated.  It looks like a big boy potty, it makes a flushing sound, and it was filled with chocolates.  I love that it had a built in wipe dispenser and is easy to clean.

Other favorites include Goumikids (the sweetest organic mits, booties, and sleepers- I will definitely be stocking up for the baby),  Littlebeam nursing pillows (small enough to easily tote around, use in the car, etc.), Savor (easy to organize keepsake storage), Storksak (diaper bags that would make me feel grownup and pulled together), and the thing I totally cannot wait to get into my house- Dirty Soap. It's a hand soap that changes colors when you've scrubbed enough.  I don't know about you, but my kids are known to squirt soap in their hands and rinse it off before they even get a good lather. This is a game changer!

 And of course it was a gorgeous day, so we ended it with a walk around the neighborhood.

 

*Disclosure: I was provided with free passes for the show and was compensated for this post.  All opinions are our own.

Pish Posh Baby Review & Giveaway

I was not familiar with Pish Posh Baby, so I was very excited to get to know them and get my hands (and K3's hands) on these new products.  

With our big move getting closer and closer, we have been packing boxes every day.  I am pickier than ever about what I'm keeping, packing, and moving to our new home.  Even though the Blooming Baby Bath will take up some box space, it is definitely a keeper!

I have never done baths in the kitchen sink with any of the boys, but we will never go back to bathing a tiny baby anywhere else.  And even with a 17 pound 6-month-old, it was wonderful to stand and wash him.  The Blooming Bath is handmade and very cuddly, safe, and adorable.  I plopped it in the sink, washed the baby, and then cleaned it in the laundry with a load of towels.  Easy peasy!  K3 loved it just as much as splashing in the tub, and I wish I could be snuggled in something so cushiony and soft in my bath!

Skip Hop is a brand I have bought in the past, but the Hug and Hide Activity Toy was a new addition to the baby toy basket.  There has been a lot of playing and learning since we took this sweetheart out of the box, and the monkey or bear will probably make an appearance in K3's Easter basket.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, K3 took his time testing (and tasting) each feature of the toy.  There are 10 (TEN!) activities including a mirror, crinkly and squeaky things, and teething pieces.  It's my go to keep-the-baby occupied while I make dinner/make a phone call/do homework with older kids/empty the dishwasher.  

And, thanks to Pish Posh Baby, you can win these two products to love in your home as much as we do! 

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About Pish Posh Baby

The dream of PishPoshBaby was born out of a desire to find the more reliable baby products and advice available to real moms just like you.  Their high-quality store supplies facts and advice to parents who are completely lost in the whirlwind of baby gear. 

**Disclosure: Pish Posh Baby sent me free products to review.  All opinions are my own.

Mabel's Labels Giveaway

It's back-to-school time, which in our house means Mabel's Labels.  I've been ordering from Mabel's Labels since I met them at a media event years ago, and I keep going back.  I had already ordered labels for K3 when they contacted me to do a review and giveaway here, but the more labels the better!

Here is a Tag Mate on a smock.  We're big into hand-me-downs and sharing here, so I use the boys' last names on the labels.

We use them for labeling all the school supplies (smocks, lunchboxes, etc.) as well as clothing (coats, sweaters, hats... basically anything) and bedding and pillows.  JD and O used to bring labeled sippy cups to daycare and the labels lasted longer than the cups!  K3 will need a ton of labels for changes of clothes, bottles, diaper cream- and eventually food containers, sippies, and all that other toddler stuff I'm forgetting about.

We've used them to label sporting equipment and shoes- especially snow or rain boots that they change out of at school, and I would highly recommend labeling dance shoes and cleats.  (As a former dance teacher, nothing is worse than losing a toddler ballet slipper in a room full of little people changing in and out of identical shoes.)  

Lasted the whole season on JD's bat handle

The Ultimate Back-to-School Combo contains 40 Skinny-Minis (dishwasher & microwave safe), 50 Tag Mates (washer & dryer safe), 16 Shoe Labels (waterproof and UV resistant), and 2 metal Teeny Tags with rings (also waterproof and UV resistant).  You can choose colors and designs from a huge selection, and they ship super fast!

You can win an Ultimate Back-to-School Combo of your own with the easy entry below!  And if you don't want to wait to win, they are currently offering 10% off for signing up for their mailing list and free shipping (dispatched in 24 hours) on their website.

Disclosure: Mabel's Labels provided me with an Ultimate Back-to-School Combo to review and another to give away. All opinions are my own, and I've happily paid full price for all my other labels.  It's money well spent!
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LEGOLAND Day Trip

I love finding new places to take the kids that are within driving distance, and especially now that I'm home for a few more months, LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Westchester is in our rotation of fun, close-to-home activities.

I went into it expecting lots of Lego play, but we were surprised to see the center also included fun rides, exhibits, and 4D cinema in addition to many opportunities to play with Legos.  We spent a few hours there and didn't even put the kids in the huge Fire Academy- themed jungle gym play area.  (JD continues to remind us that next time we "NEED to bring socks". Don't tell him we could have purchased them there!)

This ride was by far our favorite!

The NYC exhibit is amazing.

They enjoyed waiting for the subway to go by way too much. I finally had to tell them to move along.

At this table, they practiced building earthquake-resistant buildings.

The boys were hard at work building race cars.

Did this a couple dozen times.

But my car was the champion!

Biggest legos EVER

The Ridge Hill Mall, where LEGOLAND is located, is gorgeous and full of fun places to eat and shop.  You can easily make a full day out of your visit!  The organic, free-range, grass-fed beef burgers and milkshakes we had at Elevation Burger were a nice surprise, and there was plenty of room inside for the boys to begin building their LEGO masterpieces.

They are wishing for us to take them back again soon! With events like "Brick or Treat" coming up in October, I'm sure it won't be long.

Disclosure: LEGOLAND provided our family with passes for the day.  All opinions are my own, and we will be returning often on my own dime :)

Minivan Problems (and KidzCanDesign giveaway)

We picked up the new minivan last week, and we are LOVING it.  The only issue that I am having a hard time with is the key.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but my old car had a keyless entry system with push button start, and leaving my keys in the bottom of my diaperbag/schoolbag/purse for 5 years has made me a very lazy girl.  

At least once a day I walk up to my car and wonder why it won't just open- which is especially embarrassing when driving coworkers out to lunch (I've got two car seats and everyone can still fit in! Woohoo!)  Baby brain + new, kinda important thing to remember = I HAVE to make my keys easy to find/something I don't mind having in my hand all the time.

Enter KidzCanDeisgn.  They specialize in converting your child's work of art (or photos, handprints, etc.) into a high quality, sterling silver, custom piece of jewelry.  When I was approached to review a product by KidzCanDesign, I knew right away I would chose a keychain.  And I knew right away the piece of art I wanted to use.  

JD painted this picture a while ago and described it to me and "Mommy and Keith holding hands and happy."  For anyone who's read or spoken with me about my divorce, you know that JD was very sensitive to my feelings- and especially concerned about my happiness level. It brought me to tears to know that he saw me as happy in my and Keith's relationship.  I framed it, and it has hung in our bedroom since.

The KidzCanDesign process was extremely user friendly.  I simply chose my item and uploaded a picture of the artwork.  Their site is full of beautiful examples to give you ideas of what you can have done.

I can imagine the kids would love getting a pendant made of some of their own artwork someday, too!

The final piece arrived beautifully packaged (think great gift idea for grandma or a special friend), and I am so happy with how it came out!  The quality really is great, and it still captures the feeling of JD's art.

Now for the fun part: We are giving a KidzCanDesign item away to a lucky reader, and they will get to design their own special piece!  

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Disclaimer: I was given the keychain for free for the purpose of this review.

Because I really need a refresher

It's been almost four years since I've had a newborn, and that doesn't sound like a long time, but it feels like FOREVER.  It might have something to do with the insanely dramatic ways in which my life is different now, or that having two babies 15 months apart left it all a blurry mess in my memory, but I am incredibly anxious about having a little baby in the house again.  Umbilical cord care? Cradle cap? Diaper rash? Are newborn diapers really that nasty? And itsy bitsy? It's like I'm doing it for the first time all over again. 

Four years ago, I reviewed Dr. Carey's Baby Care Kit, and loved it.  Fast forward to 2014, and I was pumped to see an email in my inbox asking me to review a new, updated version of the book, Dr. Carey's Baby Care: First Year Baby Care Guide. Like the original, the updated version is full of helpful color photos and is a manageable 80 pages.  

This time around, I'm setting a goal for myself to keep notes (on the the convenient blank, lined pages throughout the book) of my own on what works for us, and I really really really hope that I stay on top of filling out the milestone chart in the back of the book.  I did not write down (nor do I remember) things like when JD first clapped or when O started banging two blocks together.  I could probably piece it together by going through the 18 gazzilion photos left unprinted on my computer, but having a simple place to jot things down makes so much more sense.  

Not only did Dr. Carey send me the updated edition, but he is providing one for a lucky reader as well as two swaddling blankets!  Enter below!

These babies obviously love the blankets!

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Cravings??

When I was pregnant with JD, I craved raw veggies.  With O, I couldn't get enough cupcakes/cake.  It couldn't be a doughnut or a cookie- it had to be a form of cake.

This pregnancy I have been drinking sparkling water seemingly by the gallon.  I attribute this craving to the fact that I have developed an aversion to the taste of tap water, I'm trying desperately to stay hydrated, and I want to avoid juice and soda as much as I can.  I've been careful to avoid the flavored versions packed with sugar, but they are so yummy!  

Then a couple weeks ago I attended the Brooklyn Baby & Family Expo, and I was pumped to see a booth giving away flavored sparkling water.  And not only was it yummy water, but it was a special folic acid and vitamin enhanced water for moms and moms-to-be!  A bottle includes all the good stuff from your prenatal vitamin, while being all natural and low in sugar and calories.  Tasty, refreshing, hydrating water, and I could drink it in place of my ginormous vitamin? Sign me up!

Bump Water offers both flat and sparkling flavors, but who wouldn't choose bubbles, right?

I didn't get anything from Bump Water except their samples at the expo (Keith had one too- they're not ONLY for preggos), but they did kindly agree to give a case of either Lemonade or Cranberry Ginger to one of my readers.  To be the lucky winner, follow the Rafflecopter directions below.

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Bump Water is available for purchase by the case at bumpwater.com and amazon.com.

Showing our #DisneySide

A couple months ago, I found out I was selected to host a Disney Side @Home Celebration, and we decided to make it a brunch play date while I was off from work.  In this house, we really enjoy any excuse to show off our Disney love, so we had a great time decorating (the decorations are still up now with no plans to take them down), planning snacks, and sharing some Disney fun with our friends!

We decorated T-shirts

winner winner!

Disney BINGO

Thanks so much to Disney, American Tourister, HP, Ocean Spray and most of all Maria Bailey and the BSM Media team for providing the opportunity, products and support that made my Disney Side @Home Celebration so much fun!

(I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebration.)