Twins Were Born, But Didn't Realize It

This is such a sweet video. It even brought tears to my husband's eyes.

Cuteness Overload

This baby starts to sing with the radio about 1/2 way through the video.

Warmze Review

I was happy to review WarmZe. It's a bottle warmer. 

The cool things is that it requires:

• No electric outlet
• No batteries
• No boiling water
• No car charger

It really seemed impossible in my mind for this thing to work. Guess what? It does work!

How it works:

1. It comes with 2 warming wraps.

2. You put a totally cute design fabric over the bottle. The fabric has two layers. The first layer lifts up and the Warmze fits over the fabric. Then the second layer of fabric slips down. This fabric prevents  burns, yet keeps the bottle warm. *See the video below! It really helps explain how to use the WarmZe.

3. You wrap it around any bottle type 8 to 11 ounces. This starts to warm the bottle up. I couldn't believe it, but it does work! The babies bottle heats up in 30 minutes.

4. This is re-usable and washable. It catches milk drips. It's also easy for babies to hold onto.

What do I think?

I think it's truly an ingenious product. Although I breastfed my babies, my husband bottle fed them, while I was at work. I think this would have been great for him to use. He had to warm up bottles the hard way. The fact that it doesn't need batteries, or a car charger makes it easy to heat up bottles for traveling.

It's stylish! I got the owl print, but there are other styles to choose from.

The only downfall is that it does take 30 minutes to warm up. If a baby is really hungry, 30 minutes is a long time for them. After you know a babies schedule, you can plan easier.

Check out bottle warmer reviews!

Here's a video that shows how to use WarmZe.

If you'd like to see more check out their website retail section go here.

Like WarmZe on Facebook.
Follow WarmZe on Pinterest.
Follow WarmZe on Twitter. 


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 was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review. I did get products to help with the review. 
 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Woolzies Dryer Balls Review

I started using Woolzies Dryer Balls and love them! 

I strongly encourage any mom who is going the cloth diaper route to use these. For Moms that are breastfeeding, they work great for breast pads as well.

The just make clothes so much softer. I'm not the only one that felt this way. My oldest son came up to me and said, "Mom why are my clothes so soft?" I said, "Is that a bad thing?" He said, "No! They feel like they are new." Certainly a great product for anyone that suffers from eczema, or has any other skin sensitivities.

I feel like they dry clothes quicker, in my older, not as efficient dryer. My sister who also has Woolzies didn't notice a dry time difference. I think it's because she has a fancy upright dryer.

About Woolzies:

• They are 100% pure wool
• They are handmade in Nepal from New Zealand wool
• They contain no chemicals
• They save time, energy and money
• They act as a natural fabric softener
• They reduce drying time
• They are noise free
• They soften clothing 
• They last at least 1,000 loads 
• They can be used even if you are allergic to wool, since they don't come in direct contact with the skin
• They are $35.99

I tried them on our bedding, and clothes. They seemed to do a really good job. The only thing that was frustrating is the balls would get caught up in the laundry. I had some that landed on the floor. I think it's just a matter of getting used to them. Six wool balls is a lot to keep track of.

Like them:

Like Woolzies on Facebook and Twitter.

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 was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Royal Fail

So the press is going nuts about Prince George.

Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets are getting selling like hot cakes, since William and Kate swaddled George in the blanket to go home.

 

 

I'm not seeing a whole lot of press on the way George was put into that car seat. I remember bringing my youngest home from the hospital and the nurse saying to me, "You are not going to put that sweater jacket on him are you?" Coats and jackets are not supposed to be used under the strap of a car seat. I thought that was pretty bloody ridiculous. 

 

Here it looks like Prince George isn't even fully strapped into this car seat. Look his little arms are hanging out. The straps should go over his shoulders. He was swaddled before strapping him in. The belt is supposed to go under the blanket. 

 

You can swaddle, but do it after the baby is buckled in. Like so:

Source

I got this information on this website. It talks about how to swaddle a baby, while in the car seat.

 

1. Buckle the baby into the safety seat and make the straps snug. There should be NO blankets or bulky clothing under the straps or on the baby's body.

 

2. Take a blanket and, while keeping the baby's arms down at the sides, tuck the blanket very tightly along the sides of the baby's body and underneath the baby's legs. Of course if it is very hot outside don't do this, since the baby will overheat.

The 2 week old baby in this photo is buckled tightly into her Graco Snugride 35.  You can't see the straps due to the swaddle, but rest assured that she's ready to go for a ride (just as long as the carrier handle is moved to an approved position for use in the car!)

Kate Middleton is in Labor

The media frenzy has begun. Do you care?

I saw bets on Facebook if she's having a boy or a Girl. Then poles as to what they are going to name their child. I was thinking, REALLY?!

The media lost my interest when they covered a segment on Good Morning America about if Kate should breastfeed or not? Really? To me that's a very personal decision. She doesn't need to be judged by what she chooses to feed her baby. Yes I am pro breastfeeding. I'm also accepting woman for their decision on what they choose to do that's right for them. It's not my choice, or the next person's choice as to what Kate chooses for her royal baby.

How do you feel?

Would You Pay For Someone's Dinner if You Spotted Them Breastfeeding?

I would. I just know how much time it takes. I've seen people in public breastfeeding. I wanted to go up to them and say, "Way to go!" but then I feel like they might think I'm being creepy.

So many people that breastfeed in public get the odd stare. Like a person is thinking, Why don't you go get a room to do that? Every mom knows that when a baby is hungry, a baby is hungry.

One woman was breastfeeding in a restaurant and her waitress paid for one of her pizzas. I think that is a great gesture to support a nursing mom!

Beautiful!

A father captures one day, a whole year of his son's life on video.

A Second a Day from Birth. from Sam Christopher Cornwell on Vimeo.

Fathers Stop Coddling Your Kids

I read this article called, Fathers, Stop Coddling Your Kids. In short it's an article about how Fathers should push their kids to not act like babies and to be/do more.

When I first read it I was thinking, Oh no this is another article about tough love. Kids you need to become hard working citizens at the age of 12, ok?

My husband read the article to. He loved it. I gave it another chance.

Experiencing my own life, with my own children, our boys listen a whole lot more when Daddy steps in the room. It's not to say that they don't listen to me. I'm firm, I stand my ground. Without me things wouldn't get put away, baths wouldn't get done, dishes wouldn't get clean, clothes wouldn't get laid out the night before and so on. Daddy has a different role. Most do. Most have a deeper voice, than Mom does. Kids know Daddy means business. I've heard this time and time again from different people, that kids listen to their Dads more.

I didn't understand what I heard from other people in regards to kids listening to Dads more before I had kids. I didn't understand it even when I had a baby and a two year old. As my children aged I now understand it. 

What if the Dad is not in the picture? Then what? I'm not saying that a child will turn into a horrible person if Dad isn't in the picture. It's just that if a Dad is around, active in a child's life, the child will certainly listen to Dad.

Does this mean that Dads shouldn't have fun with their kids, or cuddle with them? Not at all. They just need to expect the most out of a task a child does. That task should be done well!

If that child acts out at Mom or Dad, the opposite parent should back that other parent up.

The child should be corrected when they whine, throw a temper tantrum and misbehave. Some of this type of behavior is a phase, but if it continues to persist be firm. Take the child out of the store if needed. Have a talk with them in the car. Let them cool down before you go back in. If they won't cool down, go home and put them down for a nap.

The article in question is more about discipline being in the home than anything. When a child is sassy as a kid it's sometimes cute, but when they are teenagers it's not cute at all! Kids become teens fast.

How do you discipline your kids?

A Tribe in Africa

One of my son's friends is from Africa. I never understood why his birth date was so obscure. I'd ask him, "When is your birthday?" He couldn't really answer my question.

I read this article and his lack of knowing his birthday is understandable now. That is if things were the same where he was born.

Source

Some tribes in Africa do not celebrate a child's birthday from the day they were born. They don't even celebrate from the time the child was conceived. Instead they celebrate the child's birthday from the time the child was first thought about in the the Mother's mind.

When a woman decides that she will have a child, she goes off and sits under a tree, by herself, and she listens until she can hear the song of the child that wants to come. And after she’s heard the song of this child, she comes back to the man who will be the child’s father, and teaches it to him. And then, when they make love to physically conceive the child, some of that time they sing the song of the child, as a way to invite it.

When the Mother is pregnant, the Mother teaches that child’s song to the women of the village, so that when the child is born, the women around her sing the child’s song to welcome it. And then, as the child grows up, the other villagers are taught the child’s song. If the child gets hurt someone picks it up and sings its song to him or her.

I find this to be interesting!

It can be argued when a child is a life form. I know when I felt kicks, and heard a heart beating inside me that someone special was inside me. I knew with my oldest that I was pregnant before a stick or doctor could tell me so. My whole body just felt different. Every pregnancy is different. With my second child I didn't feel very different at all. We were trying to conceive, I missed a period and took a test. It came up positive. You'd think by my second child my body would be in tuned with what pregnancy feels like. With my second pregnancy I felt when my baby had hiccups, and when he moved way before I could with my first. Again every pregnancy is different.

When did you know you were pregnant? Did you know before a test, after a test, after a doctor told you, or not until the birth of your baby (That happens to.)?

A Beautiful Home Birth

This is truly amazing. I never had a home birth. I had 2 c-sections.

Heather Von St. James - Mesothelioma Survivor

I've mentioned Heather's struggle with Mesothelioma Cancer before. She beat many odds that were against her.

Listen to her story:

Baby Feeding Cue

I saw this on this site:

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

Written By: Beth Brubaker

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook
("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is setting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse
that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are...If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

I Care Foundation

I'm a college instructor and have my students create a campaign for a non-profit organization before Christmas every year. They totally get into it. I love what most all of them stand for. They help better the world.

I Care Foundation is a self-funded non-profit organization.  They have an 'International Child Abduction Parent Awareness Campaign' that is about international child abduction and trafficking.

I Care Foundation has a goal to educate parents about the warning signs of abduction. Abduction dropped 15.3%.

Children are taken from their homes, and disrupted from their lives every year. Time is very important for these children. As a parent in this situation, you have to act quickly. 

The I Care Foundation has a list of attorneys that can help.

For more information contact the I Care Foundation here.

For more information contact the I Care Foundation here.

Disclaimer: I did not receive anything for writing this post. I only wrote it to get the word out for I Care Foundation.

In Medical First, a Baby With H.I.V. Is Deemed Cured

If you haven't heard about this ground breaking news yet, you can read here. It's amazing how far technology has gone!

Every year more and more babies are being saved!

I simply love this video:

Breasts

The Robot Book Review

I was lucky enough to review a board book called The Robot Book By Heather Brown.
This book is perfect for preschool age. I think books that are fabric or plastic bathtub books are ideal for babies. They tend to want to eat and yank at pages.

This book is described on Amazon as: 

This robot has two eyes, two arms, and two legs, but what really makes him tick? Inside The Robot Book, Heather Brown answers that question within an interactive story that features actual working--and moving--parts. Gears and cogs are mounted on each illustration to keep little fingers and imaginations engaged.

We took this book on a small road trip. It has small words. The reading level was below the 7 year old. I thought it was great having him read to the 4 year old though. They both loved the moving parts.

Product Details:

• Cost: $16.99 for the book. $2.99 for the Kindle version.
• Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
• Hardcover with 12 pages
• Publisher: Accord Publishing, a division of Andrews McMeel; Brdbk edition (October 26, 2010)
• ISBN-10: 0740797255
• ISBN-13: 978-0740797255

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. Andrews McMeel Publishing  provided to me a free product to help with this review.

Positive Parenting Solutions

There's a free live webinar about parenting without having to yell or nag. You can sign up for it here. I've found Amy McCready really has great advice.

Treating Kids That Have the Stomach Flu

Babies, toddlers and some preschoolers will not hit the toilet, even the bucket when it comes to having the stomach flu.

What are some of the BEST things you can do to treat them?

My oldest, who is 7 just got done having the stomach flu. I started thinking about the best things to do for him.

One of the biggest rumors is that if you or your kids get a flu shot, they are not going to get the stomach flu. The flu shot only covers influenza. Read more about this here. It's good to get that because it can be deadly to those that already have weakened immune systems. If you are healthy and get influenza, you can be out of commission for 2 full weeks.

For Kids That Have the Tummy Bug:

1. Keep everything washed and don't use anything twice. The more people that touch their cup, washcloth and so on have a chance of getting whatever they have. As a parent, you feel like you are washing and washing!

2. Try and use organic cleaners. There are many out there on the market. You can make your own by:

• Using Vinegar and orange peels. 
• I put orange peels in a mason jar, pour white vinegar on top and let it sit for a few weeks. Then I remove the orange peels. 
• This makes for a wonderful, practically free cleaner. It takes the odor out of the room and kills germs at the same time. No harmful chemicals added.
• I use it daily, so it's around all the time for me.

3. Brush their teeth after each vomit episode. Tooth brushes (if the don't light up or are powered by batteries) can go in the dishwasher to be sterilized.

4. Give them plenty of liquids to drink. Need ideas: 

• Water is the best! Let's face it, not all kids like water. 
• Pedialyte is reccomendied by many doctors; to help hydrate.   
• Little Me Tea contains no added sugar, no caffeine and is organic to the core.  
• Gatorade does contain dyes and sugar, but if it's all you have around the house give it to them. Some liquids are better then no liquids. 
• I give my kids JELLO juice. It's just JELLO made from the box and cooled down. It's not set up yet, so they can drink it. 
• Chicken broth is good. 
• Try and stay away from milk. Most of the time milk does the body good, but not when your stomach is upset. It can create added mucus.

5. Stick to the B.R.A. T. diet with a few added things. The B.R.A. T. diet has been known to put the stomach back into where it should be. What do those letters stand for? 

• B= Banana
  R= Rice
  A= Applesauce
  T= Tea or Toast
• Added things to help with the stomach flu are: JELLO, Oatmeal, Chicken Noodle Soup and Greek Yogurt.
• Probiotics are great. Especially if your child has ongoing stomach problems. You can get them in the grocery store, pharmacy, or nutritional store. It's the same bacteria added to yogurt. We need bacterial in our bodies to keep us going. Probiotics is the good bacteria.

6. Give them a bucket or pan to puke in. Then if they can't make it to the toilet, they have something right there to vomit in. 

7. Give them rest time.

• Quiet sleep time.
• Reading time.
• Movie time. Usually TV time should be set to a minimum, but when they are sick I let them watch TV more than usual. I'd rather have that, than have them running around and touching everything. 
• Give them their own spot and don't let siblings bother them.

8. Don't be surprised if they act fine. 

• Every kid is different.  
• Sometimes my kids run around like they are fine after they have thrown up. Then they get sick again.
• Other times they look dead to the world. 

9. Wash, wash, wash!

• Have them wash their hands a lot. Wash the soap bottle down often.
• Have them take a warm bubble bath. This will help with their sore muscles.   

10. The average child will get the stomach flu twice a year, maybe more if they are in daycare before the age of three. See this site: babycenter.com
 
For Babies That Have the Tummy Bug:

It's not uncommon, but there less you can do for them.

1. Breastfeed or give them a bottle often. They won't eat as much as normal. Still ofter a lot.

2. You can give babies probiotics. Read above under number 5.

• When my babies took them I had to give them the powdered kind, mix it with water and syringe it into their mouth.
• Call your doctor if you question how much to give them, what brand and if you should give them any. They are always your BEST resort!

3. Cuddle lots.

• Babies love to cuddle when they are sick, but it gives you a higher chance of getting sick to. Wash your hands a lot. Stay out of their face.

4. Try and keep them on a blanket you don't care about.

• Then they can throw up and it can be thrown in the washer.

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post. I only wrote this post as Motherhood insight. These opinions are my own. If you have ANY questions contact your child's pediatrician.