Sunday, July 29, 2012
FABULOUS FINDS: THE HONEST COMPANY
In the April 2012 issue of Parenting there was an article all about Jessica Alba being a mother of two and how she founded the Honest Company; a company that designs diapers and household products that are safe, Eco-friendly and affordable. We read the article a couple times and we were intrigued...so we checked it out.
We originally didn't want to use disposable diapers due to the harsh chemicals used and the amount of waste we would be adding to the landfill. But after feeling overwhelmed with trying cloth diapers and having a newborn all for the first time, we thought disposable would be a better fit for us, at least for the first few months.
Anyways, long story short, we decided to try the Honest Company diapers after Kensi reached 8lbs so she could fit into the size 1. So far, so good. We ordered their diaper bundle that comes with diapers and wipes. We really, really like Honest Diapers; they fit great, don't leak and they have fabulously stylish prints for boys and girls (no cartoon characters for all of us who can't stand them!) As far as price goes...they're only a few more cents per diaper compared to the big name diaper brands, but cost less than $20 a week (totally affordable). Another great thing about the Honest Company diapers, you pay a monthly flat fee for a bundle and a whole month's worth of diapers and wipes are shipped to your door. No need to go to the store - super convenient!
We have yet to try any of their Essentials, but we can confidently say we will in the near future.
So after adding up the cost of nasty chemical filled diapers and the cost of gas to go to and from the store a couple times a month, the Honest Company to us is one pretty sweet deal.
Another great product that helps create a happy and healthy world, home and of course...baby :)
Saturday, July 28, 2012
CHRISTMAS IN JULY
Merry Christmas!!!
We had SO MUCH FUN celebrating Christmas in July and can't wait to do it again next year!
Of course we had to have our Peppermint White Mochas from Starbucks, but it is summer after all - so we opted for a Peppermint Mocha Frappachino as well.
Baked a few of our favorite Christmas cookies...and burned some in the process :)
And it just wouldn't feel right without a few Christmas movies.
On the list for the day...
We wanted to make it a little quirky and totally our own...so we had to throw in a little summer pool time bliss!
And finished our night with some summer jams, homemade fish tacos and Coronas.
It was perfect.
We hope all of you had a wonderful Merry Christmas (July style)!
Monday, July 23, 2012
FABULOUS FINDS: ADEN + ANAIS
A.K.A Item of the Week...
Best swaddle blankets ever! Kensi loves these things soooooo much! We originally had the Life's a Hoot set of 4 from Babies R 'US. This set is one of their Classic sets. These are fantastic for the summer, especially this one and the ridiculous heat wave we've had. They are truly awesome as a breast feeding cover-up as well because they are large (47 X 47) and great for swaddling the little babe. We swaddle her every night for bed.
Best swaddle blankets ever! Kensi loves these things soooooo much! We originally had the Life's a Hoot set of 4 from Babies R 'US. This set is one of their Classic sets. These are fantastic for the summer, especially this one and the ridiculous heat wave we've had. They are truly awesome as a breast feeding cover-up as well because they are large (47 X 47) and great for swaddling the little babe. We swaddle her every night for bed.
We also have their Bamboo sets and we absolutely adore them! These come in a set of 3 and are super soft, which Kensi loves to cuddle into. Aden + Anais also make bibs, sleep sacks, sheets (already in my shopping cart!), towels, washcloths and security blankets. We can't recommend the products of Aden + Anais enough! We ordered our set from California Cozy.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
FAMILY TRADITIONS
HAPPY FRIDAY EVE TO ALL! This is something that I started saying every Thursday since teaching over 3 years ago. I don't know why, but it always seems to make the day and the week for that matter seem so much better! It's funny how something so small can turn into such a big tradition
whether it's something that happens weekly, monthly or yearly. But that's the whole point of today's post....starting family traditions.
It's no secret Mike and I LOVE holidays and traditions, we've mentioned this a few times! Mike and I have our small rituals that we try to do. Throughout most of the year, Fridays are Friday Night Movie Night with homemade popcorn. We've been doing this since college. We even continued to do this when he transferred to school out of state...we would rent the same movie and either be on the phone or on Skype watching our movie together. The best part of this was trying to start the movie at the same time...ready? One, two, three, PLAY! Oh my, we were such nerds!
Saturday is usually our coffee day. We get up, go to Starbucks and run our errands or go straight to the Farmers Market if they're open. Or if we can't do this in the morning, sometimes we'll make it part of our dessert in the evening. If we do this, sometimes we'll go to one of the local coffee shops we love. Our coffee trips are definitely a must in our house that we hope to continue for the foreseeable future. It's one of our weekly indulgences that we really enjoy.
We also try to make each Holiday special as well. The one holiday that we don't really enjoy is New Years. I don't know why, but it's usually built up to be this amazing night and always ends up disappointing.
Here are some of the other holiday traditions we love to do together.
We never go out for Valentine's Day, we always stay in and make our own sweetheart dinner together.
Dying eggs for Easter is a must! This past year we had to include Baby B, hence the painting of the belly like a decorated egg.
The 4th of July is always different, but usually consists of the three F's: food, friends & fireworks. This year we did just that with a little bit of pool time.
Labor Day is more of a holiday to me, than Mike I think. This holiday symbolizes the end of summer and a HUGE welcome to fall! My FAVORITE time of year. I get all our fall decorations out, make pumpkin bars and usually the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks :)
Every year for Halloween, we carve pumpkins, roast the seeds, rent scary movies and either make a trip to the pumpkin patch or do some other Halloween related activity. Two years ago, instead of going to a pumpkin patch we drove up to Gettysburg, PA for a Ghost Tour of the town. We had a lot of fun doing this! They also offered Ghost Hunts :)
Something we've started just since we've been married is spending Thanksgiving with my sister and her family from Arizona. We don't go to Arizona for this. Every other year we all travel to California and spend the week together with another close family who use to be my sister's neighbor. We look forward to this each time. We spend our time on the beach, shopping (Black Friday!), cooking and playing games. We're going this year and can't wait!!! On the off years, we still spend Thanksgiving together, but through Skype. Yep, we try and all eat dinner together through our computer. I LOVE it!
Christmas, ah Christmas....pure love! Baking cookies, Christmas movies, cinnamon rolls, peppermint mochas, shopping, fires, caroling, gift giving, celebrating Christ....I could go on and on! Two years ago, we spent the weekend before Christmas in NYC with some of our closest friends. We had so much fun! It was a bit crowded, but completely worth it!
This year we are so excited to start our Christmas in July. Every year I somehow get one season ahead of myself. When it's winter,
I'm ready for spring; when it's summer, I'm ready for fall....it really
doesn't make much sense. Anyways, I've been getting the itch for
Christmas the last couple of weeks. And it's not the miserably cold
weather and ice that I miss (well maybe a little, but only because we can't catch a break with this crazy heat!!!), it's the whole cozy, snuggled up, watching
Christmas movies and making cookies all day sorta thing that I miss. So
in order to scratch that itch....we are starting a Christmas in July day. We
thought it would be the perfect time to start our own quirky little tradition, especially now that we have expanded our little
family of two to three with Kensington. Stay tuned, because I will certainly be posting about it next weekend!!!!
Monday, July 16, 2012
TUMMY TIME
It is officially time to start posting baby activities and I'm so excited! All my fellow teachers back in Maryland may be laughing at me a little bit right now, I love lesson planning :)
For the first month, the baby is really only eating, sleeping, pooping, eating, sleeping, peeing....then hit repeat 50 times. So as far as activities go for the baby....you really only have Tummy Time; and of course this should only be done while the baby is awake and when you can be the baby the ENTIRE TIME!
The following information is what we have done with our daughter. My husband and I are not doctors and are only sharing what has worked with us based on our pediatrician's recommendations. Please make sure you talk to your child's pediatrician first or if you have questions or concerns!
So, what is tummy time?
Tummy time is the time when babies lay on their tummies and play. You can do this a few different ways.
- Baby lays on a blanket on a cushioned floor
- Baby is help upright
- Baby lays on your chest
- Baby lays with arms over a nursing pillow
Why is tummy time important?
- Allows them to lift and turn their heads and build their muscles in their upper back and neck, which they will use later when rolling over and sitting up.
- Helps prevent babies from developing the flat spot on the back of their heads. This is mostly attributed to babies being on their backs for too much of the day.
How long should tummy time last?
(Always talk to your pediatrician first!!!)
Kensi LOVES her tummy time. We started her the first week with only 30 - 60 seconds at a given time, multiple times throughout the day. After the first week, we slowly built it up by adding an extra 30 - 60 second or so every few days. She is up to about 5-10 minutes, but we are sitting with her the entire time and if she begins to get frustrated or keeps burying her face into the floor, we stop and turn her back on her back. We also will hold her upright on our shoulder (as if burping her) to allow her a different position to build her little neck muscles.
How can I make it fun?
Don't be afraid to lay down with your baby and interact with them. They love watching, touching and hearing you. Make silly faces, goofy noises, sing songs or read a book. Introduce some brightly colored toys.
The past few days, I've placed some of her soft toys around her and she has started to try and touch/grab them. She loves her toys and it keeps her busy. Right now her favorite soft toys are Mr. Bug and Poofi (both Zolo by Kushies and bought on Amazon).
What do your babies love to do during their tummy time? What has worked best for you?
And with absolutely nothing to do with Tummy Time, but here's our Little Miss in her bouncer making the most adorable faces!
And with absolutely nothing to do with Tummy Time, but here's our Little Miss in her bouncer making the most adorable faces!
As a FTM I thought I might share some of the awesome products we have stumbled across. So here's this week's awesome find....
Okay, all you moms out there...I don't know if you've tried this on your baby, but it is a miracle worker! We knew we weren't going to use any of the Johnson baby shampoo products because of so many harsh ingredients, we instead opted for Aveeno Baby until we read the label and they also use a lot of the same ingredients as Johnson. So after reading and reading and reading we tried the SAMPLE kits of California Baby and we really liked some of their shampoos and body washes. However, our sweet baby girl started breaking out with her baby acne around 3 1/2 weeks old. One of my sisters recommended using the Mustela Foaming Shampoo (yes Mustela, the same brand that I use for my stretch marks!!!) and the rest of the line for that matter. I kid you not, that within a week all of her baby acne was gone! Just GONE! My sister also said it helps get rid of cradle cap :) Personally, Mike and I don't know this because Kensi hasn't had any....hmmm...maybe it's because of the miracle shampoo :)
The first time we used it, it took off all of her dead flaky skin that was peeling....completely gone! And over the last week, her baby acne....gone! Now she will get a few here and there, but it never lasts and has usually disappeared by the end of the day. This is now the only line we are choosing to use at this point.
We give Kensi a bath about every other day. We use the Mustela Dermo-Cleansing Body Wash and the Foaming Shampoo for newborns. We only use the body wash on her shoulders down and used the shampoo for her neck, face and head. When she's done with her bath, we put the lotion on her from the shoulders down, but we avoid her face.
They sell the products individually and you can buy the Newborn Kit, just check which products they put in the kit to ensure you are getting the ones you want. You can find it at Target; it is a little pricey, but well worth buying!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
NEWBORN PHOTOS
We love how fantastic Kensington's newborn pictures turned out! They were all taken when she was 1 week old. It was very neat to see how the photographer molded her little body into each position, of course I was completely mortified when our sweet little babe decided to poop all over some of the fabric and inside a basket....twice! However, the photographer was incredible and assured me it happens at each session :)
All the photographs were taken by Ember Nelson of Ember Nelson Newborn Photography. We highly recommend her!
Remember the bows and ruffled bloomers I purchased off
Etsy a few months ago. Here they are!
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