My son always wants to go where his daddy goes. There are times when my husband will go for a walk in the woods or doing something that he needs his hands free. While searching for different carrier systems that I thought would work for our son, I ran across the Kokopax Carrier. The Kokopax offered everything that I was looking for in a carrier.
When it arrived, my son was actually excited to give it a try. From out of the box to my husband actually wearing him took about a minute if that. Being that my husband is the main reviewer of this product, he said that it works great. It was so easy to put my son in the carrier. With the kickstand feature it is so easy to just place them in it like it's a seat, then simply lift it up and place it on your shoulders. It is so much easier to use than alot of the carrier out there! Also, to go from my husband wearing it to myself, it only takes a second to adjust the shoulder strap!
To read more of this review visit, As They Grow Up. Also while you are there, don't forget to enter the contest for a great Kokopax tote!
It seems so hard to be able to find a comfortable pair of jeans these days. So when I did run across a pair, I just had to share with my readers how wonderful they are.
I recently had the opportunity to try Miraclebody jeans by Miraclesuit and these jeans are fantastic! Not only are they comfortable with a little added stretch, but they also instantly make you appear 10 pounds lighter and are completely figure flattering. These jeans are made with a lightweight denim which simply just adds another reason on why I love them so much. They are perfect for anytime of year!
The Miraclebody jeans that you see me wearing in this picture offer a medium rise and the classic five pocket style. They are made with cotton/spandex and wash up amazing! I have yet to experience fading or shrinkage with these jeans. Also, I get tons of compliments when I wear these jeans!
Features of the Miraclebody jeans:
Handcrafted panels comfortably smoothes tummies.
Mid-rise waist is lower in the front, higher in the back.
My two year old is extremely active and loves playing outdoors. Even as hot as it is outside, he refuses to come in. I know I am lucky that he has always loved water, so when we had the opportunity to give WAT-AAH a try I was excited.
Once the WAT-AAH arrived, the first thing I noticed about them was their color label. What a fantastic way to get little ones to want to reach for a bottle of water over a sugar drink. My son and daughter immediately wanted to give it a try once it arrived. They knew it was water, but the label alone made them want to reach for the WAT-AHH over the regular bottled water in the fridge. Even my daughter that complains about taking water to school daily, asked to take a bottle with her lunch the next day.
Here is a little video of my sons first sip of the WAT-AAH
My son loves taking snacks with us whenever we go on a car ride. While looking for product to carry his snacks in, I really wanted something small enough to fit into my purse, but made so that his snacks wouldn't get mashed. The Boon Snack Ball is a perfect solution for those times.
The Boon Snack Ball is so easy to just fill up with the snack of choice and drop in the bag for travel. The twist open top makes it easy for toddlers to be able to open it on their own. The Boon Snack Ball is super easy to clean. The two halves just simply unscrew and you can wipe it out or or even place it in the dishwasher, plus it is BPA-Free.
Features of the Boon Snack Ball:
Fun, sphere-shaped snack container
Rigid form protects snacks from crushing
Two halves unscrew for easy cleaning
Great for travel
Dishwasher-safe
Groovy Interlocking Plate and Bowl Set
My son is a very picky eater. It is hard enough getting him to eat, but if his foods mix I may as well forget about. We recently had the opportunity to try the Groovy Interlocking Plate and Bowl Set from Boon Inc. and it has been great. I am able to put his "sauces" separate from his other foods, and I love how they can be attached and moved around so easily. This little plate is also dishwasher safe and BPA-Free.
This great little toddler-size plate and includes two seperate compartments plus two small bowls that attach to the edge of the plate in a variety of positions. The smaller bowls are perfect for dipping or for small portions!
If you are looking for great products to help my snacks and meal times more fun, visit Boon Inc. to check out their fantastic products!!
My husband loves heading out on the weekends with our son. It's the one time where they get that father/son bonding and since mom (me) is never invited, that leaves my husband in charge of the diaper bag. Eventhough I have some diaper bags that are not as feminine as others, they still are hard to pull off that they are also meant for a dad to carry. It seems so hard to be able to find a hip diaper bag for the dads.
While on the search for a great product to present to my readers on behalf of Father's Day, I discovered DadGear. Let me just say that I was floored by their wonderful selection of bags.
First off, I will admit that I am a little jealous of this wonderful bag and if I could pull off caring it, you better believe I would. The design that my husband picked out is the one you see pictured above. He loves the quick access he has to the wipes, the bottles and the changing pad without even having to go through the trouble of actually opening the bag. DadGear knows exactly what Dads are wanting in a diaper bag!. Not only does my husband love the quick access of key items when you have a little one but it's super roomy. What dad wouldn't be proud to sport a cool diaper bag like this!
To read more about this review and for a chance to win one of these great bags, visit As They Grow Up
I had been on the lookout for a new phone for sometime now. I was having a difficult time with knowing what type of phone to purchase. I knew the features I was looking for, but there seems to be such a huge price range in phones. I wasn't sure which one would give me the best features at an affordable price.
After searching for months, I finally decided on the AT&T DECT 6.0 CL82209 series phone. I have used this phone for approx. one month and absolutely love it! One my my favorite features of this phone, other than the ease of use is the dual handsets. It's nice to have one in the living room and one in the kitchen and only needing to use one phone jack.
PRICE: The price is very affordable. At the AT&T store, it is priced at only $59.95 which is great considering it's like getting two phones.
HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES:
Dual Handset Features
Expandable System (Uses up to 12 handsets through a single phone jack)
Unsurpassed Range-Redefining long range coverage and clarity
When my girls were younger, I could never find just the "right" stroller and even with my son I have honestly been through a few. Some we loved, but were too bulky to really take in the car on trips and some just didn't have the features that we needed.
We recently had the opportunity to give the Graco Quattro Tour Sport full size stroller a try and it is absolutely wonderful! It is like the SUV of strollers. It pops up easy and folds down with the simple twist of the handle. Not only it is easy to open and close, but it isn't too heavy and fits nicely into the back of the car. It's great that it can hold them up to 50 pounds, which is way past toddler years. My son loves this stroller and I will often find him sitting in it while in the house. He has figured out how to climb into the seat. That right there shows me just how comfortable this stroller is.
One feature that I really love about this stroller is......
To find out more about the Graco Quattro Tour Sport and for a chance to win one, visit As They Grow Up
As we are fast approaching the gardening season, I started on the search for a dehydrator to help meet my needs as far as preserving foods. As we all know with the economy still not that great, more and more people are starting to grow their own fruits and veggies to enjoy year round. It just seems like the fruits and veggies we grow ourselves are packed with so much more flavor than those we buy from a chain store. Not to mention that I am not a fan of dried fruits that can be purchased from the store. Mainly because it is so hard to find ones that are organic and that do not contain added suger. With that being said, I was excited to put the Nesco Snackmaster Express to work.
First off I want to let my readers know that this was my first experience with a dehydrator. I have had fruits and veggies that friends have made in their own dehydrators, but I have always been a little scared to give it a try. Since my family has changed our eating habits and eat mainly gluten free and organic, this just seemed the way to go.
The dehydrator manual says to pre-treat before you start the drying process. I started to per-treat with apple juice and realized that I didn't have any on hand. Since I tend to just play things by ear and experiment, I decided to give it a try without pre-treating. So all I did was slice my apples and placed them in the dehydrator. Set the correct temp and let them dry for right at 3 hours. When I tested them, they were perfect!! I did have to let my pickest eater (my 2 year old) give them a try. He ate a slice of the dried apple and asked for more. That's when I knew that everyone else in the house would love it.
I was not only impressed with the ease of drying the apples and how wonderful they came out but that it can be used for so much more than just fruit. The Nesco Snackmaster Express FD60, comes with a special tray just for making "fruit roll-ups". All you do is use a puree that you have purchased or already have on hand. The Snackmaster also can dry vegetables and herbs that can be used in all types of casseroles, soups, stews, etc. throughout the year.
If you are craft, then you can even use the Snackmaster to dry plants and flowers for use in potpourri, flower arrangements and so much more!
The Nesco Snackmater Express FD60 has received approval from everyone in my house. I am looking forward to start drying cherries, as the trees are already blooming. My husband on the other hand, is ready to expirment with making jerky. Also, something that I have forgotten to mention is that is so easy to clean the Snackmaster. All I had to do was let it soak in a sink of warm water for just a second and it wiped clean with no problems at all.
Introducing the Snackmaster® Express™. Its sleek, contemporary design features 500 watts of drying power, and generates maximum speed and quality for dehydrating fruits, vegetables, beef jerky, and venison jerky. Helps dry food in hours, not days like ordinary food dehydrators. The top mounted fan eliminates liquids dripping into the heating chamber!
Features of the FD60:
Adjustable Thermostat. The adjustable thermostat allows you to dry different foods at proper temperatures (95-155 F), providing the flexibility to product the best drying results.
New-Powerful Top Mounted Fan: Top mounted fan and 500 watts of drying pwer generate maximum speed and quality for dehydrating fruits, vegetables, and jerky. Helps dry food in hours, not days like other food dehydrators.
Expandable FD-60 comes with 4 trays, but is expandable to 12 trays with optional Add-A Tray.
Vita-Save Exterior: Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful light which destroys nutrional content of food being dehydrated.
Patented Converga-Flow drying system forces air down the exterior pressurized chamber (not through the trays.) The hot air is forced horizontally across each individual tray, converging on the core for fast, even and nutritious drying. No flavor mixing and no need to rotate trays.
Our family seems to always be on the go. We all know that a car ride isn't comfortable at all, but I want my kids to be as comfortable as possible! While looking for a great travel blanket that my son could cuddle up to, or even cover up his little legs should he get cool, I discovered Patricia Ann Designs. The products that they offer are absolutely gorgeous and I was very excited to have the opportunity to give their travel blanket a try.
Patricia Ann Designs was born on New Years Day, 2004 and has been flourishing by leaps and bounds ever since!! I am Shelley Ann and my mom is Mary Patricia (aka Pat). We are the Patricia and the Ann of Patricia Ann Designs! My mom and I began this venture starting out like many successful businesses ~ out of our garage! All we had were a couple of sewing machines, scissors, thread and some great fabric! But, after just a few short months, our demand grew and so did we!!
My son has always been a fairly clean eater and hates getting food on his hands and clothes. While searching for a great bib, I discovered Mally Bibs. These leather bibs are amazing!! The bibs we have tried in the past just didn't fit right. My son would always want them off the minute I put them on. With the Mally bib it is a different story. He actually puts the bib on himself. Sometimes he wears it the way you see in the picture and other times he wears it with the snack catcher pocket in the front. It's actually for catching those dropped snacks, but he loves putting his snacks in them snack catcher and eating on the go.
Here is a little video to that I did with him showing me how easy it is to take on an off:
To read more about Mally Bibs and to enter to win one, visit As They Grow Up
While on the search for a safe, yet comfortable car seat for my two year old son, I discovered the Recaro Young Sport Carseat. At first glance, this seat looked fantastic. The more I read about it, the more impressed I became.
We have been using this car seat for about 3 weeks now and love it. He is seating up higher and has a great view out the window. The generous padding seems very comfortable, especially when we take a longer trip. He no longer cries to get out of his seat or says his bottom hurts. One other thing I have noticed with this car seat is that every time I put him in it, he goes to sleep. See this is amazing to me, because my son has never slept in his carseat. Even on a 7 hour trip, he stays awake the entire time. That little part right there assures me just how comfortable it is for him.
Here is a little video to show you have quickly it can be installed (In case you are wondering, we just recently bought the new vehicle and left the plastic on Davis' seat).
Recaro Young Sport offers the latest safety protection like energy-absorbing EPS foam, deep side wings and an excellent fit for children weighing 20 - 80 pounds and over the age of 1 year. Due to its outstanding versatility, it provides the perfect platform on which to watch your child grow. With its height-adjustability it offers optimum safety for toddlers and young children. And as soon as your child outgrows the 5-point harness and seat cushion, you can remove them, converting the Young Sport into a booster seat.
Additional Recaro Car Seat Features:
Recaro SIP: Improved safety thanks to this innovative Side Impact Protection system. The extra large side protection shell provides additional support when cornering
Simplicity at hand: Multilevel adjustable headrest
Ergonomic Shape: For healthy growth
Seating Comfort: Integrated armrests
Excellent Fit: Removable fit for each age group
Convenience & Safety: Central belt adjuster for quick harness adjustment (5-pt. only)
Easy Installation: Simply secure the seat with its LATCH System* or with the car's existing 2-* or 3-point seat belt (*only when used with the integrated harness system)
Increased Safety: Highly visible red marking show the belt routing locations and help you slide the seat belts into the right position.
Interested in finding out how to win this Vivo Lite Booster Seat pictured below? Visit As They Grow Up
We are always on the go and with 3 kids, there seems to always been an injury at one point or another. I never seem to be prepared to handle them until now. I recently had the opportunity to try the Intelligent First Aid Home & Travel kits. These kits are great and have EVERYTHING you may need to cover injuries. I keep the Home addition in the kitchen since that is a central location in our home. It is so easy to grab and use no matter what happens. I also love that every packet has instructions on things to look for and how to do it.
The travel kit always stays in the car. That way should be we have an accident at the park, or riding the bike it is handy to cover any of those situations. I love how they come in a great carry pack and everything is divided into neat little sections. It makes it so easy and fast to find what you are looking for. The last thing I want to do in an injury is try to dig for the correct thing.
To read more of this review and for a chance to win, visit As They Grow Up
I am a huge believer in reusable bags. I always look for something compact, easy to carry and that will hold what I need. The Moukisac has all those great qualities that I find important. I took it shopping with me this past weekend and was amazed at how much it held. Also, it was great to be able to use the mesh Moukinet bags for my produce. Even after the shopping trip was over, it was very easy to get the Moukisac folded back to its compact size.
The Moukisac can be worn as a shoulder bag, sling bag or around the waist. It also comes in a wide array of colors and fabric (unbleached cotton, water resistant nylon, polyester cotton, etc). These bags are super easy to care for and clean and are machine washable and dryer safe. All these features are fantastic, but there is another one that also really caught my eye. I have actually never seen this with a reusable bag, but the Moukisac comes with 4 Moukinet mesh bags that are perfect for holding produce.
To read more of this review and to enter the giveaway, visit As They Grow Up.
Whether being an expecting mother, a new mother, or even a mom of a toddler it always seems hard to get all the nutrition we need to help our bodies keep up with all the changes. I know it seems almost impossible for me to get a second to grab a bite to eat or to even drink a cup of water. I recently discovered Glow Mama and I LOVE it.
Glow Mama is a drink specifically made for pregnant and nursing mama’s, to keep them healthy and hydrated, while being able to drink a beverage that makes them feel special and make them look positively “glowing”. Glow Mama offers 4 grams of fiber and essential pre/post natal vitamins.
Most moms-to-be know that keeping hydrated is essential during pregnancy. For me, drinking water, which I normally love, became a chore as I really wanted something with a little bit of flavor. Glow Mama, a low calorie drink made with kiwi, is a great alternative to sugary juices.
To read more on Glow Mama and enter for a chance to win, visit As They Grow Up
Being as I always have my reusable bags with me, I had to take look twice when I ran across Envirosax. Their reusable bags are not only unique and stylish but hold an amazing weight. They have so many different designs and styles to choose from, it is hard to pick just one. After debating on which one was for me, I finally decided on the one you see pictured on the left. This bag is from the Organic Series and is the Hemp bag. It comes in this great little bag so that it is ready to travel with you. I always keep it in my car so that no matter where I am, I have it at my fingertips. To read more on the Envirosax review and for a chance to enter to win one for yourself visit As They Grow Up.
The Snack & Play is a unique product for families on the go. The Snack and Play helps enhance the driving experience by providing a flat, safe area for children to eat and play. Snack & Play easily attached to the car seat for quick on and off removal.
My son has always hated to travel, ever since he was a newborn. I would just cringe at the thought of him having to be in the car for longer than 5 minutes. He was miserable, which ofcourse we all know that when the little ones are unhappy, everyone is unhappy. We had tried different things in the past to make for a more joyful ride for ourselves and for him and nothing had worked.
We received the Snack & Play and we love it, or I should say that he loves it. It's great. I keep a few little books in the side pocket and he knows he can get them out when he wants. He loves driving his trucks and tractors on the tray and also enjoys drawing and coloring. The Snack & Play has been a lifesaver for us and now we don't mind traveling with him. Even to the local grocery store, we have a pleasant trip.
I would very much recommend this product to anyone that has a toddler that just hates to travel. Well, that is if you want to enjoy a peaceful trip.
What other PlayDate Moms Thought: Life In A House Of Blue:I really hate when I am driving and my little one is eating a snack or playing with a toys and it falls out of his reach, with a large SUV means it is out of my reach also and the rest of the ride or until I can pull over he is crying for what ever he dropped. Star Kids has made a Snack And Play Travel Tray to eliminate this problem!
Sage & Savvy:I also love how the Snack & Play Travel Tray has mesh pockets on both sides, so you can stash a variety of things for your little one to snack on and play with-more books, toys, sippy cups, etc.
For The Love of Baby:The rimmed surface keeps snacks and toys on the tray so you can focus on what you need to be-DRIVING.
Sweet 'n' Sassy Girls:It is basically a foam table that you can hook around a car seat that has a foam rim around it to keep cars or crayons from rolling off. Look What Mom Found:The Snack and Play Travel Tray has transformed car rides from the hand-that-to-the-baby-game to she-hasn’t-made-a-peep-silence.
Have you ever wondered exactly what you need to do for say, a bee sting? Well there are times I have wondered that and just didn't have time to search the internet, or found it unnecessary to call the doctor to find out. Now, it is easier than ever with the Safety Mate. This amazing device is a talking first aid kit and it really works fantastic.
In an emergency situation a lot of us panic or forget what to do, or simply don’t know what to do. To read more about SafetyMate review visit As They Grow Up. Also, while you are there, don't forget to enter for a chance to win one for yourself!!
I know that I can't be the only mother in the world that seems to always be telling their children to turn down the music. I always worry that they are playing the Ipods too loud and in the end will damage their hearing. Thanks to LoudEnough I don't have to worry as much.
I recently received LoudEnoughs to try, and I thought who better to try them out was my 13 year old daughter. She is the one that we have to tell a million times a day to turn her music down.
She loved the way they had the case and since LoudEnough is designed with kids in mind, it comes with 3 different sizes of ear tips. They fit perfectly and still allowed her to listen to her music but at a safe level. To read more of the LoudEnough review, visit As They Grow Up
I love to buy eco-friendly products for my family every chance I get and that is one reason why I was so drawn to the Pedoodles Shoes. We recently received a pair of these great little shoes you see pictured. On the Pedoodles site, their name is Little Ceasar. They are made with eco-friendly leather and the soles are made from recycled materials. To read more about the Pedoodles review, visit As They Grow Up
The Slanket is a huge, fleece blanket with sleeves. It is very soft to the touch, light weight but extremely warm. It comes in a huge variety of colors. The Slanket is designed to keep your entire body warm while keeping your hands free.
I had the opportunity to give The Slanket a try, and fell in love immediately. I am the type of person that is always cold and every evening just can't seem to get warm. Everyone in the house is comfortable but me. Now with the Slanket I don't have that problem anymore. To read more about the Slanket review, visit As They Grow Up
My son always wants to go where his daddy goes. There are times when my husband will go for a walk in the woods or doing something that he needs his hands free. While searching for different carrier systems that I thought would work for our son, I ran across the Kokopax Carrier. The Kokopax offered everything that I was looking for in a carrier.
It seems so hard to be able to find a comfortable pair of jeans these days. So when I did run across a pair, I just had to share with my readers how wonderful they are.
