Breastfeeding in America

Breastfeeding Laws in the US - Are You Protected?

If you do not know the laws in your area for public breastfeeding, please check out this link. It has an ever changing map that shows the law in your area.

Why is it Important to Read to a Baby?

There are many reasons it's important to read to a child, but what about a baby? Do they really get anything out of being read to? They actually do. 

Here are a few things they get out of reading:

• It's important because they love the sound of your voice. 
• It helps the reader to bond with the baby.
• The baby starts to learn words when they make the connection with the pictures and the words. Reading builds vocabulary. You may not know they are getting anything from it, but they are. Kids understand words before they can speak them.
• Many books for babies sound be tactile. Bath books are great and so are fabric ones. Let them put them in their mouth. 
• If you have an older child, let them read to the baby in the family. They not only will bond with the baby, but also will become better readers themselves.

Want to win a book series?

Natural Baby Mama is giving away this book series by Scholastic.

Homemade Pudding Pops

My boys are generally hungry most of the time. They eat really well. If you have a child who is one or older they might enjoy a homemade pudding pops. This is the one snack they eat a lot of!

I've tested out the recipe on other kids that come over. They've loved them to!

I like this recipe because it has extra protein, tofu in it. Don't judge too fast! You can't even taste the tofu. It tastes just like a traditional pudding pop. Well maybe less sugary. It's still really good!

Just combine the below ingredients with a hand mixer, pour them in molds, and awhile later you have pudding pops! If you don't have molds, you can use Dixie Cups and popsicle sticks from a craft store. You can go to Natural Mama to win a set of Freezycup-Stainless Steel Ice Pop Molds!

I have to say I don't hear 5 minutes later, "I'm hungry Mom!"

Does Your Child Make a Mess in their Car Seat?

A product called Kiddie Kangaroo really helps with potential messes.

You may be thinking, "Why do I need another baby accessory? Many car seats come with cup holders."

I'm a mom of two and for a few years we watched two more. Having room in the car was important! Traditional cup holders are hard plastic, take a lot of room, are hard to wash, and do not fit all cups.

Once your child starts drinking from a cup, they are often picky about which cup they drink from. Some have big bases, while others are skinny. The Kiddie Kangaroo fits all types. I love the elastic that holds it all in place. It also protects the car seat from spills and other accidents.

Some Features of The Kiddie Kangaroo:

• Pockets are simple to remove and add.
• Pockets wipe clan and are washable.
• It can be used in more than just their car seat. Moms and Dads that buy them have used them in strollers, any car seat and some high chairs.
• The material is waterproof to help it stay clean from spilled accidents. This makes it easy to wipe up!
• There are pockets on each side that have velcro strips to be placed where needed for the best sit of the seat. The velcro divider can split up the pockets for specialized storage. It also helps it to fold flat to allow for larger items such as toys and books.
• They come in many styles: Black, Blue Camo, Pink, Pink Camo and Red.

Mom4Life has The Kiddie Kangaroo marked down. 

This should help with some additional traveling for the summer! 

They are originally $19.99 and marked down to $14.99. Remember Mom4Life has no shipping or tax added within the US!

Disclaimer: This product was not given to me to review. I'm simply spreading the word for a great company, deal and a product that is outside the box.

Earth Mama Angel Baby

On Zulily they have Earth Mama Angel Baby products! They are marked down 60%! I've done a few reviews for them and can say that I simply love their products! They carry teas for Mama, lotions, Bobby Tubes and much more!

This is off of the Zulily site: "Supporting moms and babies through the entire birthing process, Earth Mama Angel Baby creates herbal products that offer natural solutions to natural discomforts. All of Mama’s products are safe, vegan and free of all toxins including artificial preservatives, fragrance and dyes. They do not contain lanolin or nut oils either. Earth Mama Angel Baby products match mamas' high standards and are ideal for the whole family." -Earth Mama Angel Baby

Hurry products on Zulily go fast! You do have to have an account to get things through them. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Cartoon

So funny and sadly true.

Source

This went along with an article. Please go read it here.

Allow Your Kids to Be Creative!

Creativity is something that is inside kids. When they talk to themselves, build up stories and want to play dress up, it's all normal.

We live in a fast paced society. Sometimes all we have time for is work, daycare, dinner and sleeping. It's important to face each week with a creative goal. Kids need activity and room to explore.

I have a giveaway up to win a t-shirt from Warrior Poet Clothier that stands for dreaming big and looking good in the process. Please enter here.

The t-shirt says, "What if we all lived like heroes?" - Warrior Poet Clothier

Your Creative Background

• A person could be innately creative. Meaning that creativity is in their genetics.
• The product produced is creative. Meaning that they got lucky with one art piece, song or writing, but other works lack in creativity.
• The process is creative. Possibly the technique used is creative. Artistic evolution, which stresses on "classical" rules that move towards breaking them. 
• Their environment is creative. Meaning that something in ones environment has strongly influenced them to be more creative than what they'd be on their own. Someone or something that inspires the artist to be great at creating. This is where you as a parent can really influnence a child. It doesn't matter if you find yourself to be creative or not. You are inspiring your child to be exercising that part within themselves. 

Stimulating Creativity

There are many ways to do this. This is just a list of some ideas. 

• Go for a walk. Yep it's that simple. It's best to go in unfamiliar, yet safe territory. 

 

• Search for bugs, pine cones, rocks, arrowheads and more. Get them sidewalk chalk and let them draw or write.

• Allow them to go off on their own to be whatever they want to be. My oldest is super into Karate Kid. He saw these poles sticking out of the ground and practiced being Daniel Son. 

If you have trouble stimulating creativity try using this check off list to help you write a story or create an art project with your child.

• Substitute one thing for another. Example: If I want to create an illustration about love. I could possibly substitute two people with puppies falling in love. This gives the image more of a childlike feel.
• Combine elements together. Example: Instead of the foreground being separated from the middle ground and background, they could overlap. Layers that can be seen through one another. 
• Adapt something for a new use or purpose. Example: Instead of a person pushing a cart, a cart could be pushing a person.
• Modify to a different size, scale, shape or color. Example: If a person were to be eating an orange and the person is turning orange in color. Alice and Wonderland plays with the size of Alice to alter the movie.
• Eliminate something out of the idea. This is a great way to simplify. Example: If a person were to create a commercial where someone is walking through sand. The footprints in the sand could disappear before the viewers eyes could add another meaning to what's going on.
• Reverse the image or order of events. Turning something inside out. Example: A plant going from full size to shrinking down to a little seed would be interesting.

Characteristics of highly creative individuals:

• Many display a great deal of curiosity about many things. 
• If you are one that asks a lot of questions about anything and everything.
• Have bold interests in unrelated areas.
• Diverse collections.
• Are often uninhibited in expressions or opinions.
• Sometimes radical and spirited in disagreement.
• Usually tenacious or persistent. 
• Fixate on one idea or project.
• High risk takers or adventurous! 
• Able to generated a lot of ideas at once when in the creative mode. 
• Display a good deal of intellectual playfulness.
• Display a keen sense of humor and see humor in situations that may not appear to be humorous to others.
• Exhibit heightened emotional sensitivity. Visibly moved by something that appears to be beautiful.

“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” -Pablo Picasso

Disclaimer: The opinions on the post are my personal take on the product. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. I am not compensated to provide my opinion except for receiving the products themselves to test out. Warrior Poet Clothier provided to me a free product to help with this review/giveaway.