Grandparent Guilt

I am really lucky and still have all four of my grandparents. I know this is rather unusual I try not to ever take it for granted. You get a sense of security and you think they will be with you forever. But the fact of the matter is that they are all in their 80's. Fortunately they are all pretty healthy and living wonderful lives..... but I don't see them nearly as much as I should.

This weekend we made the trip to see one set of my grandparents. They don't live very far from us (about an hour and a half) but the drive to see them is brutal. There is ALWAYS tons of traffic! So we have been avoiding this trip since our daughter was born (16 months ago). This is terrible of me. I was selfish and didn't want to do the drive for over a year. They have come to us twice (for her Baptism and her first Christmas), so at least they have spent some time with her. But the fact is that I have kind of deprived them of seeing her grow and change because I wouldn't make the trip to see them. Yes, the drive is hard and it's not fun... but it's totally doable once every couple of months.

So I was so glad we went this weekend and they got to see their great granddaughter. But now I have all kinds of guilt from what I didn't do for them in the past. And I feel a lot of pressure for the future.  The holidays are always tough. We have my parents and sister, my husbands parents and brother, and my grandparents. It's hard to make everyone happy and it gets very stressful. My dad has been great and offers to go out and pick my grandparents up and bring them to us for the holidays so we can all be together. But traveling is getting tough for them because they aren't comfortable in the car.

So now I'm worrying about the holidays. I wanted Thanksgiving and my mom wanted Christmas. So right there all the holidays are in NJ and we don't know if my grandparents will be able to come to both or even one. And I don't want to miss these holidays with them because I worry about how many more they have left.

And then my other set of grandparents are in Florida. They drove up when our daughter was born and got to meet her, but haven't seen her since. Why haven't I gotten on a plane and brought her to them? Because I've been selfish and want the easy way out. It's easier to not travel with a toddler.... but I might be missing my chance to share my baby with them.

We are very close with all my grandparents. We talk every week and send pictures. But it's not the same for me or them. This has been bothering me and I figured I could air my dirty laundry for my fellow mommy's. Are any if you in similar situations? Are the holidays tough for you?

Kidfresh Meals

I recently had the opportunity to review kidfresh meals. As soon as I started to read about them I knew they were something I had to try! My daughter loves to eat, but the one thing I have a terrible time getting her to eat is veggies! Kidfresh sneaks in 33% of a kid's daily veggie requirements into meals that kids love. They have mac n cheese, pasta and meatballs, cheese quesadillas and spaghetti loops bolognese.

I found all four varieties at my local King's shopping center. I was super excited to try them because I thought it just might be an answer to the veggies lacking in her diet.  We started with the cheese quesadillas and my daughter loved them! She ate the entire thing and I couldn't even tell there were veggies hidden, so I'm sure she couldn't either!

Each meal has been a hit and I am definitely going be getting more. They are quick and easy to make in the microwave and are made from all natural ingredients. Kidfresh also goes the extra mile and packages all their food in 100% recycled materials and is a sponsor of Save the Children. So they are providing moms and dads with quality food for our kids and helping the environment and the community! So cool! 

You can check out the kidfresh website for more details and to find a store near you that carries these yummy meals!

Bugalug Review

I love cute things... and Bugalug has SO many cute things! When I found out I was having a girl I was so excited that I was going to be able to dress her up and put pretty things in her hair. So Bugalug is the perfect site for me!

Bugalug has a great selection of items, including no slip clips, headbands, belts, pony loops, soother clips and more! They even have a section for boys that offers Boys Cool Cuffs! They also take great pride in their high quality mom made products! Everything is proudly made in Canada and is non toxic and lead free.

Sporting the adorable headband and matching belt 

(you can't really see the belt, but it's the easiest belt to get on a toddler!!).

What I love most, besides the fact that their products are so well made they will last a very long time, is that these moms create amazing modern looks! They are always adding new arrivals to their products and have you covered for all seasons and occasions. Their products are really stylish and unique!

I was really excited when they asked if I would do a review for them. They sent me a fantastic assortment of their products and I was impressed with each and every one!

EcoUsable Review

We are continuing our small steps to help the environment over here! As many if you know, we are making small changes throughout our home to help protect the environment and help keep the Earth going strong for our children and grandchildren and so on! We've started to use reusable cloths in place of paper towels, we use our own canvas bags at the food store, and now we officially switched over to reusable water bottles in place of plastic bottles!

Eliminating the use of plastic water bottles is one of the simplest things you can do. It's help protect the environment and saves you money! Can't beat it! So in my search to eliminate plastic water bottles in our home I came across EcoUsable.

For all the right reasons, the stainless steel bottle business is thriving because as the public has been well informed about the harmful effects of the dreaded plastic water bottle and people are now willing to do their parthowever, NOT ALL STAINLESS STEEL BOTTLES ARE CREATED EQUAL. This is why at EcoUsable, we truly care about the high quality and sustainability of our EcoUsable made bottles and we’re confident that we’ve developed the best and most consumer friendly bottles on the market which ultimately 

saves us Money, Health and our Environment!!   
Our simple yet very important goal is to help eliminate plastic water bottles and provide the safest and most convenient alternatives!!!

EcoUsable sounded like the right company for us, so they very generously sent us several of their bottles for review. 

I absolutely love the variety offered from EcoUsable. They have a variety of sizes which is important for us. My husband drinks a lot of water, so he really needs a large bottle when we are out and about. But my daughter is small and doesn't drink nearly as much as her daddy. So it's really nice that we don't have to lug around a bottle that's bigger than she needs. The small ones are the perfect size! 

And the designs they offer are great! There is something for everyone... whether you want to keep it plain and simple with a solid or have a fun flower design. And if you can't find what you want you can design your own! So cool! You can even have your school or company get bottles designed.

I am really thrilled with EcoUsable's bottles. They are in it for the right reason and making quality products. They also support many awesome charities. And to top it all off, they offer stylish, fun, affordable products! Take the small step to eliminate the dreaded plastic bottle in your home and check out EcoUsable!

EcoUsable is offering a 10% discount on any order! Just use the code ECO10

Winner!

Random.org has chosen our winners for the This Place is a Zoo Giveaway!!

#71 Krista

Congratulations to our winner! An e-mail notification has been sent. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or we will have to choose another winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Mommy Madness Blog Hop!

Kimochis Review

Many years ago, before I became a mom, I worked with an amazing teacher. While she did a lot of memorable things for me and her students, one of the things that stood out the most to me was her concern for how her students felt. She spent a lot of time talking to her young students about their feelings and encouraging them to share how they felt. Even if they weren't happy it was still ok. It's ok to feel frustrated or sad. None of us need to be happy all the time. But recognizing feelings and being comfortable enough to share them is not always easy for kids. So I really respected her efforts to bring that skill into the classroom.

When I came across Kimochis all of those memories came back to me. I looked at this product and I thought... how cool! Kimochis are toys that open up that world of feelings. Bringing parents and teachers a cool, fun tool to start the conversations about feelings. So I was very excited when Kimochis gave me the opportunity to review their Huggtopus.

The Huggtapus is incredibly cute and friendly looking. He comes with three child friendly feelings - happy, silly and frustrated. The feelings each have a face to represent their emotions on one side and the word on the other. He also comes with a personality and helps support skill building with discovering feelings and dealing with them.

There are currently 5 different characters... all with different personalities.  I think these toys are incredible toys/tools. I love what they are promoting and facilitating in homes and classrooms. And they are very affordable. Huggtapus could be yours for only $25.00! Check them out!!

Little One Books Review and Giveaway

As many of you know, I am a mother and a teacher. With having a strong background in education I am very aware of the value of books, music and videos being incorporated into the daily lives of little ones. But have you looked for children's books, DVD's or CD's lately? There are SO many out there it's getting really difficult to make the right decisions in purchasing items that will support development and education while still being entertaining.

Little One Books gives you a place to turn for information to help guide you in the right direction for your children. Little One Books offers a great selection of books, DVD's and CD's for children ages birth to 5 that isn't too overwhelming. They have broken everything into appropriate age categories to get you headed down the right path.  But they have taken it a step further and provided a brief section that explains why they have chosen to offer each individual item.  Everything about this site is really well done! It's easy to navigate and full of useful information!

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to review one of the fabulous products they carry. I started by going into the age group for one year olds and decided on a DVD. Another thing you may or may not know about me is that I started my teaching career at a school for deaf and hard of hearing children. So when I saw the My Baby Can Talk collection I knew I wanted to give it a try! I decided to go with My Baby Can Talk: First Signs.

I have been signing with my daughter for a few months now, and she has picked up a few signs. But I am certainly not as engaging as a DVD with bright colors and great music. So I thought this DVD would make for a great addition to our process of helping her learn some basic signs for communication.

I was pleased to see that they signs illustrated were many of the same signs we had been working on.... more, eat, drink and other simple words. I loved the way the DVD was laid out with repetition and the way they connected the signs to the meanings. My daughter was fully engaged through most of the video. This is something I can continue to show her for quite a while!

I was impressed with the organization and selection of products from Little One Books. I will definitely be looking to them for more suggestions of great materials for my daughter!

GIVEAWAY: One Lucky Reader will win a $25 Gift Certificate to Little One Books.
 
HOW TO ENTER: Leave a separate comment for each entry and be sure to leave your e-mail address!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Little One Books and tell me one item you would love to get!

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This giveaway is open world wide.
This giveaway ends on October 27, 2010 at 5:00 pm EST. One winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified by e-mail. Please respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be selected. Good Luck!

Wordless Wednesday

Baby's First Pony Ride!