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Spring Into Green Mothers Organic Giveaway
March 25th, 2013
Welcome to the Spring Into Green Mothers Organic Giveaway!
I’ve teamed up with Eco-Crazy Mom and an amazing group of bloggers to celebrate the grand opening of the Mothers Organic store, and bring you the chance to win a fantastic prize pack valued at $375.00!
Come check out the Mothers Organic Grand Opening March 25, 2013!
The Mothers Organic motto is simple: happy shopping for the everyday eco-mama. Why? Because we’ve all been there before. Confused by labels and not knowing which products were safe for our kids. Overwhelmed with information. That’s why eco mama Kelly McKnight and her husband created Mothers Organic. They wanted to make it easy for moms to find a variety of safe, tried and true eco-friendly products in one convenient place. Every product at Mothers Organic has been hand picked and carefully reviewed by Kelly and her team of eco mamas with the belief that if it’s not good enough for their family, it’s certainly not good enough for yours. Finally, a place where moms can shop with confidence – we invite you to give it a try!
Shop their amazing selection of stainless steel baby bottles and sippy cups. Check out their line of Melissa & Doug puzzles and toys for babies and toddlers. Stock up on your nursery layette – complete with swaddle blankets and bunting. At Mothers Organic you’ll find a great selection of natural bath and skin care, organic apparel, health care essentials and much more.
Shop now and save with free shipping on all orders over $75!
Celebrate with us and enter to win!
One lucky eco mama will win this awesome Mothers Organic prize pack worth $375.00:
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Out and About: Traveling with a Newborn and Toddler
March 18th, 2013
I cannot believe a whole month has gone by since I had a baby! I have had lots of help the last month as well. My mother came in for a whole week and then I had my mother-in-law for three weeks. I can also say that I have had help here in the last week for another total of 10 days.
Yes, we traveled to Houston for a 10 day trip that has been on the calendar for months. I was a bit nervous about traveling with a newborn and an infant but when I found out we would be flying back with my mother-in-law as well, I knew we would have extra help on the plane.
How did we minimize our travels? We only took luggage and a diaper bag. We had our parents borrow / buy car seats and strollers and I used the Ergo to travel with the baby. It was actually relatively easy, especially since Julianne is walking now.
The 4 hour plane ride was not so bad other than the fact that we had to wake up at 3am to get to the airport for a 7am flight. Whew…it was an early one for everyone but we survived.
We stayed the first 2 nights with my mother and pretty much spent our time outdoors. The weather has been GORGEOUS in Texas while it has been cold and snowing in Pennsylvania. Oh it will be hard to get back to cold weather. I did not even bring any shorts for Houston weather even though I KNOW Houston weather is quite volatile. At least I did not bring any sweaters. 🙂
Julianne loved running around the Galleria area park where the water wall is located. There were lots of people lounging and sunbathing. Julianne ran around and waved and said hello to all strangers. It was precious!
My child loves the outdoors and starts crying when we strap her in the car seat or go back indoors. Oh the joy!
It has been fun traveling with two kiddos in the car. I had not really had a chance to do that back home but it sure is challenging to make sure one child does not make the other child cry while driving anywhere. They are cute anyhow!
We have been enjoying a lot of good eats in Houston. I revisited Kasra, a great Persian restaurant. Julianne loved Persian hummus while grandma and her momma had delicious beef and chicken kebabs.
Look at Julianne spoon in basmati rice and chicken! We had a lot of the waitstaff and customers come by and say hello to her because she would wave at them or they wanted to let us know how well-behaved she was.
My mom has been able to have a little time with Kathleen. She was so surprised how much she had changed in the 3 weeks she had not seen her.
After the 2 days with my mom, we switched to Ryan’s family’s home for the next 5 days. We are happy that both our families live in the same city but sometimes trying to evenly divide the days while in town STILL tend to be a challenge. We will continue the rest of our week with my mom starting tomorrow.
My mother-in-law has been busy and opening boxes of toys that her kids used to play with. All the aunts were happy to revisit the Fisher-Price play food. Julianne thought she could eat it but she has slowly realized that she cannot. So funny. At one point the play cheese had to be put away because she was getting so frustrated with not being able to eat the “CHeeeeee.”
All in all, I can tell that Julianne has loved seeing family. She remembers everyone from Christmas and is very playful with everyone. Julianne learned how to walk at Christmas and the biggest venture next are the molars popping in her mouth. She has not been too fussy but she is if she does not get to rest during the day.
We have a big girl growing fast and she is loving every moment of it.
She also loves her little sister. We do need to keep an eye on her when she is around the “Bebe.” She loves patting Kathleen on the head and giving her kisses but sometimes she wants to poke her eye only out of curiosity.
Either way, both girls have been getting LOTS of attention from their nieces.
We have another 5 days in H-town before we need to head to cold Pennsylvania so we will be taking advantage of the outside time, perhaps with a visit to the beach and more time with friends and family.
It is amazing how smooth our time has been with a toddler and newborn. I feel blessed to have a lots of help but also blessed to have a pretty easy baby. Kathleen cries when she is hungry, sleepy or dirty but otherwise she is sleeping all the time. Using the Ergo has helped tremendously because it has kept her snug but as long as she is pressed against someone’s body she is happy and content. Would we not all feel that way? 🙂
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The Nuby Super Straw™ Cup Review
March 17th, 2013
Hi there! I am making a quick peek into the website while away in Houston. Ryan has been here on a music conference and we decided to take advantage to visit family. It has been real nice! It was not as challenging traveling with a baby and a toddler as much as I thought but that is probably because my mother-in-law flew with us to Texas. 🙂
I am finishing my set of reviewing of fun products I received from Nuby in the last couple of months. It is always fun to try out new products especially with a toddler whose tastes and behaviors are constantly changing. There are some days that Julianne does not drink hardly much so I try changing out different cups for her.
Julianne loves straws and even this straw that comes with the Nuby Super Straw cup. Julianne loves chewing on this straw and it even helps with the milk to even drink even more. Even though you can see her gripping it with both hands Julianne loves to hold it with one hand. It is definitely an easy grip cup.
The straw is made from soft silicone and is really gentle on my toddler’s teeth especially since her molars are coming in! We loved this color cup too! This helps the mom around the house because this straw prevents spills and drips. Yay!
Can you tell that she loves it?
You can find this cup online here:
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{Guest Post} How I Almost Died, Followed My Dream
March 4th, 2013I am still enjoying my time with the little one. Did I mention that my toddler came down with a stomach bug? It has been a challenge but I thank God for my mother-in-law being with me because I do not know how I would handle all of these new challenges. Today is also my birthday so I am going to be able to go out for a little this evening with my husband.
In the meantime, please enjoy a guest post by Gina. She is part of the Philly Social Media Moms group and I am blessed to have her write here today!
Thanks Gina for writing this post!
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Ever have a job you hated or live in a place that just wasn’t you? Do you count the hours to bedtime, and tuck yourself out with a glass of wine, because it’s the only peace you have all day?
I used to be like that. I was 33 years old and newly married, and I loved my husband but I was miserable, spending all my time on a career I didn’t even know I didn’t want. One night, while catching up on work, I felt my eyes roll up into my head – and, just after screaming out my husband’s name, blacked out.
I had had a seizure caused by a stroke – a serious one, too. I’m very blessed that I survived it and completely recovered, but I knew it was a message that I was living the wrong life.
It took several false starts, trust in my faith, and a lot of hand holding from people wiser than me before I got to where I am today. After years of pursuing the wrong career, I finally jumped ship and went into full time blogging in September, 2011.
There is a special thing that happens when you stop resisting the forces that tell you “you can’t make a living following your dream” and go for it: doors open. I think of this as God blessing your talent – and your courage. In a little over a year, I had two steady clients, frequent gigs as a product reviewer, and 5 blogger conferences under my belt. Not only that, but unexpected opportunities came that not only sharpened my focus, but benefited my family.
You see, I have two lovely daughters who have disabilities and food sensitivities. I struggle to cook for them. I’ve never thought of myself as a cook – I’m a former New York City gal, and years of take-out and restaurant eating meant cooking was “not for me.” After time and a few meltdowns in my kitchen, I discovered that fresh meals made with whole foods and organic produce was not only good for my family, but actually improved the behaviors and skills of my children! That was an eye-opener, and no sooner did I start blogging about eating, cooking, and dining allergen-free, than I was invited to attend a chef event for bloggers.
I never thought of cooking as my talent, until I had motivation to do it – and a way to combine it with my real passion, writing. I know how to take a recipe and substitute whatever is not good for my kids and make a great meal. I do fail, but it’s rare.
Now, I’m in the midst of redesigning my blog to teach other parents who have kids with allergies, food sensitivities, behaviors caused by toxic foods, and disabilities that they can make delicious, nutritious, food to grow their kids’ minds and bodies. In fact, that’s my nightly prayer over my children. I can’t wait to share my new ideas and lessons I’ve learned with other parents, and try my hand at making a few recipes of my own – or challenging myself to recraft ones that are tasty but not good for my children.
Don’t wait for an earth-shattering event or life-changing illness to follow your dreams, and when you do, leave the door open to possibilities. You just might love what you find on the other side.
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Gina Badalaty is the owner of Mom-Blog.com, where she has been blogging about parenting, raising children with disabilities, and allergy-free living for nearly 10 years. She’s blogged for SheSpeaks.com, American Greetings Interactive, and ParentSociety.com, and is a copywriter for natural health products and an IT firm, as well a brand ambassador. She loves creative writing, and healthy cooking. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two gorgeous daughters, and a cat that thinks he’s a dog.
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{Guest Post} Getting Your Children to Love Music: 5 Easy “Notes”
February 26th, 2013I feel so blessed to have several posts lined up during this beautiful time I have with baby #2. Ever since I became a part of the Philly Social Media Moms group I feel like there has been such great support from all the moms. What a great community. In the next few days or weeks you will see occasional guest posts from several women and moms, ranging from recipes, stories and experiences. Make sure to visit their sites to get to know them better. 🙂
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By Estelle Sobel Erasmus
Music has always been a part of my life. I was in chorale then choir in junior high and high school, and studied opera from the ages of 11-18. I started out in Boston University as a voice major and transferred into communications by the end of my freshman year, mainly because I realized that the concept of waiting tables till I had my big break had little allure (of course, I didn’t realize that the equivalent was graduating and then taking on an oh-so-not-rewarding-for-me secretarial job to men and women less cultural than me).
Growing up I used music to lift me up and make me feel less alone during my angst-filled teen years (I remember dancing around in my basement to the songs “All By Myself,” and “Feelings”, and music-geek that I was, I would always commemorate a special milestone in my life (getting asked out on a date by a cute boy, receiving an academic accolade) by singing a song called “This is One of Those Moments” made famous by Barbra Streisand in “Yentl.” “There are moments you remember for all of your life…There are moments you wait for and dream.” Later days ill-spent in unfulfilling jobs were made easier as on the way to work, I listened to the CD of my all-time favorite existentialist show “Pippin” and boisterously belted out the refrain, windows wide open, from the song, “No Time at All”: “Oh, it’s time to start livin’, Time to take a little from this world we’re given. Time to take time. For spring will turn to fall. In just no time at all.”
It’s no wonder than that I decided to make music a large part of my daughter’s life, even before she came into the world. For example, when her name was just my and my husband’s little secret, I would sing to her (and by her, I mean my belly) every morning, “Good morning, Crystal. The earth says hello. You twinkle above us; we twinkle below. Good morning Crystal. You lead us along. My love and me as we sing our early morning singing song. Lippee lap loopee.” Well, you get the picture…
And when I was going in for my unexpected C-section after fifteen hours in hard labor, I asked the anesthesiologist if he wouldn’t mind if I sang so that I wouldn’t be nervous while my doctor cut me open and took out my daughter. A slightly giddy, rather robust, and probably too loud) rendition of “Summertime” (i.e. Summertime, and the livin’ is easy (yeah, right) was the staff’s, er, reward as my husband held my hand tightly and we welcomed our baby into the world.
Which in a roundabout way brings me to this point:
If you’ve ever wondered whether singing to your child can help his or her development, then ponder no further. The value of music in a child’s development is critical according to the latest research, cited in Psychological Science, which says that in a study of a group of children (ages 4-6) those children who received music training in rhythm and melody for two hours a day for 4 weeks, exhibited significant gains in verbal ability and improved self-control, attention and memory.
Besides offering children an opportunity to act silly, have fun and let loose; music can help develop language, concentration, social skills confidence and self-esteem.
I started very early with my daughter, making up nonsensical (and sensical) rhymes for everything from her er, eliminations so she wouldn’t mind the undignified process of getting changed, to chiming right along with Barney with vigorous renditions of “I Love You, You Love Me,” complete with lots of hugging, and a dramatically acted out “It’s cold, brrr. I wish I had fur, I wish I was a bear with furry, furry hair. Because it’s cold. It’s cccold,” much to my daughter’s delight.
In fact, my now three-and-a-half year old daughter seems to have a fondness for dancing as well as Lady Gaga, and I believe that is because when she was a baby I would crank up the volume on the radio and dance around and sing at top operatic volume to ‘Poker Face,” and “Bad Romance.”
According to music education expert Kenneth K. Guilmartin, Founder/Director of Music Together® which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012, I’ve been doing the right thing. “All children are naturally musical. Just as they are born with the potential to learn to speak and understand language, they have the ability to learn music from birth.”
Guilmartin offers some tips to help your children along on their musical journey. I’ve incorporated all these tips into my daughter’s upbringing and I highly recommend them.
Take a Chance; Sing and Dance: Kids learn through imitation. You know, if you read books and have a love of reading, they’ll want to read. If you sing and dance, they will, too. Making music doesn’t have to depend on playing a CD. Sing, bang a drum, get up and dance. Forget about hitting perfect notes or getting every word right. This is not American Idol! It’s about sharing your enjoying of music with your child.
Make Music Your Muse: Respond musically to cues from your child. For example, if your baby or toddler “coos” on a pitch, return the sound. Join in with your child if she starts singing in the car or when she’s playing. If your child brings you an instrument, or creates one, make sure to stop what you are doing and play along.
Show That Family Time is Sublime: Make music as a family. Initiate a dance party or a sing-along. Pull out the pots and pans and form a marching band. Try nixing TV time or technology (i.e., computer games) in favor of a fun, musical evening at home.
Say a “Sound” Goodnight: Create a regular bedtime routine by singing a lullaby, either alone or together. The soothing sound of your voice can give your child an oasis of calm in a busy day.
Don’t Pass on a Music Class: You may feel your schedule is already too busy to add one more activity to it. But don’t miss out on joining an early childhood music program that offers a rich musical experience in a fun, informal environment, without the pressure to “perform.”
All children can learn to sing in tune and move to the music, as long as you start them on that path early. Bottom line: “It’s not important that you sing or move well; its important that you model singing and moving for your child,” says Guilmartin.
So the next time your child is humming the theme to her favorite cartoon and rocking to the beat, make sure you join in and make some music together.
I know I’m glad I did–and still do.
How did you introduce your child/children to music?
Estelle Sobel Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author, blogger and columnist who went from dating diva to married lady to older mom in the blink of an eye. She is a 2012 BlogHer Voice of the Year, a 2012 Listen to Your Mother NYC cast member, and a 2012 Circle of Mom’s Winner for Top 25 Best Family Blogs by a Mom. In her blogMusings on Motherhood and Mid-Life she chronicles her often humorous, sometimes serious, and always transformative journey through motherhood and marriage. Her latest funny escapade involves Preschool Speak for 5 Common Phrases Used on a Cruise. Her goal this year, to crack that Babble egg. Find Estelle on twitter at@mommymusings011 and on Facebook at her Author pageEstelle Sobel Erasmus
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