SPIN IT, TWIST IT, SHAKE IT

My family and I are headed to San Francisco this weekend for a wedding. While I was packing I started thinking about how much STUFF little kids require. My baby girl is 10 months, so she really only needs food and a couple small toys. As kids grow, it seems like the toys just get bigger!

I kind of can’t wait for my little one to be old enough for a “Find It” toy. Check out how cool these are! It’d be perfect for a car ride or plane ride. While it is a game, it’s a game that your children can play by themselves. You can join in on the fun though, if you want. It also isn’t messy….no little pieces to pick up or chase down the aisle on a plane!

Depending on what theme you choose, there are endless little goodies your kids will find inside. Just SPIN IT, TWIST IT, SHAKE IT and start searching! Kids will have so much fun seeing all the little surprises and trying to be the first to find a giraffe, soccer ball, or necklace. You could even time them so that they can try to beat their previous score. Be creative.  

You can find all of these fun FIND IT toys today in the new and improved Zoolu! Baby Boutique. WOOHOO! We hope you like it!

Should children be allowed in restaurants?

For starters, YES! I think children should be allowed in restaurants…

A friend of mine from Pennsylvania, forwarded me an interesting article regarding kids in restaurants. Last week, the owner of McDain’s Restaurant and Gold Center in Monroeville, Pa., banned children under age 6. HERE is the article. Personally, I was offended when I first read the article. I understand that there can be some loud kids, but this seems so unnecessary.

Vuick, the owner of the restaurant said "Nothing wrong with babies, but the fact is you can't control their volume," Vuick said. "There may be restaurants that prefer to cater to such things. Not here.”

Last Friday my husband and I had a date night at an upscale restaurant that was intimate and quiet. The table right behind us was a couple with their 4 year old son. He was the most well-behaved kid I’ve ever seen in a restaurant. When we left I actually complimented the couple because I was so impressed. If the kid had been loud, rude, or throwing a fit I would’ve been upset, but I don’t think our night would have been ruined. I would’ve been more frustrated at the parents for not disciplining their child and taking them out to the car for a little bit. If someone can get escorted out of a bar, I think the manager or owner of a restaurant can ask someone to PLEASE take their child out of the restaurant if customers are being disturbed. At the same time, I think it is the parents responsibility to take their child outside until they calm down.

I do think that banning kids under 6 is rude and slightly discriminating. What about the 7 year old that throws a fit because they don’t like the chunky tomatoes in their spaghetti? How can you draw the line at age 6? Heck, I’ve been mortified and embarrassed by the volume level of some adults! I have a 10 month old that is great in restaurants. Sure, we choose to have a babysitter most of the time, but she is good when we take her out. This just doesn’t seem fair. I actually think it’s a little lazy on the owner’s part to not just ask someone to take their child out of the restaurant.

Hmm….What do you all think? Yes, it’s a free country, so go ahead and put up a “no kids allowed sign”. Do you really think that’s fair though? Can a few groups really ruin it for the rest of us?

Pack ‘n Play! The Fight is OVER!

Do you fight with your play yard/pack ‘n play when you go to pack it up for a trip? Well, last weekend I decided I wanted to get away for the weekend and I knew I’d need our pack ‘n play. The last time my husband packed it up, I could hear him saying not so nice words to the poor pack ‘n play. It can’t help it that the company decided to make a bag that DOESN’T FIT THE PRODUCT. Seriously, people? I walked out and giggled at my husband and then it hit me! I forgot I had bought one of THESE. That’s actually a lie…it was given to me by my fabulous boss before my little sweat pea had arrived. My husband thinks it’s the greatest gift so far. If you’re sick of stuffing your pack ‘n play into a bag that just doesn’t work, buy a play yard bag!

The Travel Play Yard/Pack ‘n Play bag is a Zoolu! exclusive. This is why Zoolu! should be your favorite baby boutique. We are always thinking of ways to make your life easier! There is a clear window to put your personal information, but I might take ours to my local embroider and have our last name put on it. I’m a fan of monogramming and any other forms personalization’s. This bag is so durable and made of canvas. It has a side pocket for metal bars as well as sheets. It also has a long strap that you can attach, making it easier to carry! You can wear it like a backpack which is great when it’s just me and the little one. We all know how important it is to have two hands free!

Here’s a plus! I LOVE products that have multiple purposes. Once your kids don’t need the pack ‘n play, you can use this bag for sporting equipment or even just as a large duffle bag for whatever you like!

Buy one now in your favorite color!

Make my OWN baby food?!?

Hmm, really? As my girlie approached 6 months (in what seemed more like 6 weeks) I was dreading having to put thought and planning into feeding her something other than the stuff that comes out of me for free. I started casually scanning the grocery shelves to check out my options... not impressed. While trolling the internets for all things baby (pretty much my only hobby at the moment), I stumbled upon chatter about making your own baby food. For some reason this hadn’t occurred to me. How do I know if it’s safe to feed my baby if it’s not excessively processed, what or how much should I give her when it’s not neatly packaged into teeny servings? Is it legal? - I guess I always assumed that Gerber had a patent on it or something. ;-) Turns out it’s super easy to make your own fresh baby food! Who knew? Not to mention it’s much easier on your wallet. And there are all kinds of nifty gadgets out there to help you “cut your teeth” along with baby. :)

One of my faves are Baby Cubes. Once you steam/boil/roast and puree/mash/chop your food, just fill these little cubes (available in 1 or 2 ounce sizes) and store in the fridge or freezer - a perfect serving at the ready, just reheat! And the lids are attached so they never get lost or fall to the bottom of the dishwasher. Brilliant, and SO much better than ice cube trays. Also great for storing breast milk, and you can use them as snack containers once baby has graduated to finger foods.

Another awesome gizmo for you baby-feeding adventures is the Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder. These funny-looking contraptions are so handy for giving your little one pretty much any fruit or veggie you can find, without any worry about choking. My little cherub likes to munch on chunks of frozen mango through the mesh while I get the rest of her meal ready (and while I’m making my coffee in the morning!). Initially I started out putting crushed ice inside to get her used to the taste of water. She loved slurping up the melting ice, and now chugs cold water from her sippy like there’s no tomorrow!

I still keep a stash of store-bought baby food in the pantry for on-the-go feedings or for those days when I’m in a rush or just plain-old feeling lazy. Every now and again when my bambina decides to go on a hunger strike, I will crack open a nice jar of green bean mush and shovel it in her mouth while she plays with a spoon. Green beans are my go-to when I just need to get some nutrition into her - she loves them, and that’s the one food I just can’t seem to break down in a blender - they get all shredded and weird.

Here’s a picture to prove that my little one loves her mesh feeder. She’s pretty cute, huh?!

And of course, once you get past the puree stage, the sky’s the limit. Here are a few really great blogs for baby food recipes and ideas. Have fun!! Don’t be intimidated….it’s easy and kind of fun!

Here’s a fancy idea: Get together with one or two friends and have a puree day! Then you can all split up what you’ve made and have a large variety of foods for your little one.

White Noise Machines

Have you seen the latest noise machine in the baby boutique? Cloud B’s Mimicking Monkey is soooo cute!

White noise machines are huge at my house. The baby has one and so do we. I also have a fan in the guest room for when people visit. I can not fall asleep without some sound. It’s not the noise machines fault either (some will argue with me). I have ALWAYS needed noise…a TV, a fan, ocean waves, birds chirping. You know, anything pleasant that can put me into a deep sleep. Lord knows I need all the beauty sleep I can get!

The Mimicking Monkey might be the next big baby shower gift. You can record your voice! My little one is experiencing some separation anxiety and if she hears my voice, I think it would help sooth her to sleep. I love that you can read a monkey story and it will play it back for the child. If I still had a newborn, I’d probably record the vacuum going because as soon as I would turn it on, BG would fall asleep! Crazy, I know!

Buy one today for your little one or that next baby shower you’ll be attending this summer! Are you pregnant? Why not add it to your registry. Click here to start your registry.

Mimicking Monkey features:

• Plays three unique sounds for fun and sleep - Monkey fun, angel falls, lullaby
• Records voices over all sound option
• 30 minute sleep timer
• Velcro hands for securing to cribs and strollers
• 2 AA batteries included
• Illustrated storybook and adoption certificate

Have a happy day!

Summer Activities

Well hello there everyone! Sorry we’ve been a MIA! Things have been busy busy around here. I hope everyone had a nice, long Memorial Weekend.

A couple weeks back, I wrote a post asking about activities for little munchkins. I came across a great list, so I thought I’d share! A lot of the activities are no brainers, but it’s nice to see them on paper (or computer screen). Sometimes we forget about all the FREE things we can do just around our neighborhood!

Maybe you and your kiddo could make a “Bucket List” of things you want to do by the end of the summer? Some of these might be perfect!

100 FREE THINGS to do with your kids this summer….

This list is full of great ideas, but here are just a few of my favorites:

Library

Cook with the kids

Plant a garden!

Blow up Diet Coke with Mentos (even I want to try this!!!)

Travel around the world. Have English scones for breakfast, Chinese Stir Fry for lunch, Italian for dinner. Make a craft to go with each country, get a library book with photos of these places. (maybe even see if you have a friend your child can become pen pals with.)

You could also go to your favorite Baby Boutique and shop around. We have so many wonderful outdoor toys! I love the Melissa and Doug sprinkler. You can get a girl version or a boy version.

This would be awesome for any kid. So much better than sitting inside watching TV!

I also love the Melissa and Doug Bug House. If I were a lightening bug, I wouldn’t mind this as a house.

Mom, I'm soooooooooooo bored!

It's almost that time of year when the kids are out of school and you're pulling your hair out because you are running out of things to do with your antsy kids. Right? Some might say I can't relate (yet) because my little one is just 8 months old. I still pull my hair out somedays though because I worry about little BG getting bored.

Anywho, what are some of your favorite summer activities that keep your children entertained? How do you beat the boredom blues? My baby can't even talk yet and even I don't want to hear "Mom, I'm bored!" My response would probably be "here's a rag, go dust." Haha. Just kidding! I'm starting to sound like a mean mommy!

Ok ok, I came across THIS and I think many of you may love this idea! A BORED JAR! If you're a crafter, you could make a really pretty jar to leave on the counter. If you're not crafty, have no fear! Just take a spaghetti jar and put your activities onto strips of paper. It's all the same in the end anyway. :)


Here's an example from Shaydes of LifeIncluded in the "bored jar" are some "terribles" as well as exciting things to do. My terrible would definitely be "go dust your room". hehe One of my fun activities would be to go get ice cream. The idea is that whatever the paper says, you have to do it no matter what. So, if its go get ice cream make sure you're able to drop what you're doing too.

Here are some other ideas for your jar...
Play with chalk
Read
Exercise
Water plants
Write a letter to Grandma and Grandpa
Set the table for dinner
Listen to music
Take a nap

And here are some ideas for jars!






This last one is my favorite! I found it over at Becoming Martha. She takes this to a whole new level! I love how she wrote her activities on popsicle sticks. Plus, my heart thumps for cute little owls. Hoot hoot!



So, how do you combat boredom?