Something I wish I had when growing up.....Kay's Klips

Cupcake got these great clips and clip holder from a friend.  I love them so much I had to blog about it!

These are the creations of Tina who is the mastermind behind Kay's Klips .  She is a mom who started making hair clips for her daughter.  Then friends and family started noticing her unique and cute creations and encouraged her to start her own small business.  Thanks goodness for us she listened!

This is Cupcake's Klip Holder?  Isn't it nice?  I love how she can use this even when she's older to organize her hair clips. 

Kay's Klips come in different designs.

You can see the great detail that goes into each Klip.

The different ribbons Tina uses to cover each Klip and the cute embellishments coordinate perfectly!

The cupcake embellishment fits my daughter, since I call her Cupcake.

The panda Klip is my personal favorite.  I love pandas.  Wonder if I can wear this???

Tina's designs are unique, and you can't get these types of hair clips in stores.

I recently purchased a Klip holder and some Klips for a coworker's daughter who recently turned 1.  Tina was great and was very informative about which fabric for the Klip holder would match her nursery colors!  I also included the little girl's interests and she created Klips based on that!  She was very professional.  She even included a hand written thank you card!  Who even writes now?!   

   You can also check her out on her Facebook  page and follow her so you see her latest creations.

The Magical World of B.

If you've visited Target's toy area you have probably noticed B. toys.  These toys are made with whimsical colors that stand out from the rest of the toys and somehow take you back to your own childhood.  I am talking about B. toys.  My daughter as well as my hubby and I love B. toys.  My daughter loves their Zany Zoo cube.  This toy keeps her occupied and entertained, which makes me happy.  I even enjoy playing with it.

I love the colors on the Zany Zoo.  Not too bright and overpowering...yet still fun and playful.  The cube is composed of 5 sides with 5 different activities.

• The top has a lot of loopty-loo routes for your little ones to play with.   It even has little wooden shaped animals you can move  as well!  
• One side has doors that open and reveal an animal which is painted in great detail.
• Another side is composed of spinners which represent the alphabet.  

• Another side has 3 zigzag paths your little one can play with to race up and down
• Another side to match animal heads with bodies.

Here's a closeup of the spinners which has the alphabet on them.  My fave is the "p" with panda!

The toys are BPA-free, lead-free, phathalate-free.  The paint is soy-based and varnish is water-based. The cubes have friendly rounded corners.  Notice no sharp edges in the pics.  B.toys is Green as well.  Packaging is made from recycled products.

Check them out at Target!

Knock Knock....

My daughter loves IQ Baby Knock Knock blocks.  I have to give these blocks credit for helping her learn how to crawl.  We would put her at one end of her crawling mat and make a tower of blocks on the other side of the mat.  She would try all her might to go towards the tower of blocks to knock it over.  At first she accomplished this by rolling, then it turned to military elbow style, and finally crawling!

      
These blocks are very colorful and each side is made from different fabric.  This is great because your baby will be able to see different colors and feel different textures.  Each block also makes a different noise and also has either  a window or a door which one can open to entertain your baby.
 

                                        
I love these blocks because they are soft.  My daughter loves to grab things and throw them down...usually at me!  One time she took my iphone and threw it at my face!  I was kind of worried I would have to explain to my coworkers how I got a black eye....luckily it never bruised.  I am a bit of a neat freak, so the fact these blocks come in a zipped up bag is a plus for me.

                                        

Itzy Ritzy

I recently got my Snack Happened and Wet Happened bags from Itzy Ritzy that I bought through OpenSky from Project Nursery! I absolutely LOVE them!  I bought the Urban Jungle Blue for my son and Licorice Swirl for myself.  The Snack Happened bags are not only reusable and washable, but they are also FDA approved & BPA Free!  The fabric is made from 100% cotton and is lined with thick and lush PVC-Free waterproof lining.  The Snack bags are 7" x 7" and are machine washable.  They can be used to carry snacks, fruit, sandwiches, cell phone cords, lotions, toiletries...the list goes on and on.  Kids and adults can use them!

Use them to carry snacks. 

Use them to carry baby stuff

Use them to carry lotions or sunglasses

The Wet Happened bags are bigger than the snack bags which allow you to carry diapers, swimwear, clothes, and the list goes on.  These bags will not wick even with the wettest items and are machine washable!  The Wet Happened bags come in two sizes:

• Medium 11” x 14” holds 4-6 cloth diapers
• Large 14” x 17” holds 6-8 cloth diapers

I got the 11" x 14" Wet bags, again in Urban Jungle Blue and Licorice Swirl.  I love the Urban Jungle Blue print, so cute and adorable!  I placed a few of my son's gear in the bag and took some pictures of the wet bag!  There's still plenty of room for more stuff!

Wet Bag filled with my son's "stuff"

one onesies, 3 diapers, a burp cloth, and cotton wipe

Son's stuff as it goes in the Wet bag

Son's stuff in the Wet bag...and room for more!

These bags come in a variety of wonderful designs your little one will love!  They recently came out with new designs such as Funky Monkey Remix and Peace Love!   Be sure to check out Itzy Ritzy!

Milkin Cookies!

I am hooked on Milkin’ Cookies!  I prefer my cookies over Mother’s Milk tea…especially during the summer.  I’m not especially keen drinking hot tea during the hot months of summer, are you?  Don’t get me wrong, I drank Mother’s Milk tea for 5 months and I did see some increase in my milk supply…but during the hot summers…I don’t really enjoy drinking anything hot..let alone warm.

So, what are Milkin’ Cookies?  Milkin' Cookies are delicious lactation cookies for nursing moms. They include healthy ingredients to boost breast milk production. Milkin' Cookies come in two flavors:

• Milkin' Cookies Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies
• Milkin' Cookies Cranberry Almond Oatmeal Lactation Cookies

Results may vary from person to person, but my milk  increased 1.0-1.5oz  each pumping session.  I can also skip one session and still retain my milk supply.  This normally didn’t happen.  So now I pump 6-7 times a day..which is great!  I used to pump 8 times a day every 3 hours, 24/7.  I personally LOVE the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies!  It’s a treat I look forward daily!

Milkin' Cookies are made with wholesome and healthy ingredients that include whole wheat flour, flaxseed, wheat germ, and oats. They're all natural, with no artificial ingredients, preservatives, herbs or medicines.  They’re individually packaged so you can toss them in your diaper bag or briefcase when you're on the run.

Trying to go au naturale?

I don't know about you , but my baby likes to lick and chew anything he can get his hand on.  He especially loves to chew on anything especially terry cloth!  So I went on-line to see if there are any organic teethers made of terry cloth.  Sure enough I found RiNGLEY Natural Teethers.   Once it arrived, I gave it a good wash and gave it to my son.  My son hasn't let go of it ever since!  Bye Bye pacifier...Hello RiNGLEY! His new RiNGLEY teether has actually saved us since he can now calm himself  down with his new teether.  He no longer cries or whines because he wants his mommy or daddy to put his pacifier back in his mouth.  As you can see from the picture below he also loves to chew on the Maple wood ring.  My son gives it two thumbs up! 


RiNGLEY Natural Teethers is the original Canadian natural teether made of untreated Canadian Maple and 100% organic cotton terry cloth.  The soft terry cloth is all natural. No harmful chemicals or dyes were added to the cloth.  RiNGLEY is able provide babies and toddlers with two different textures with it's simple design. 

It's designed so your baby can easily grip the ring and cloth. RiNGLEY was designed with a child's development in mind. Since infants learn through tactile stimulus, touching and putting things in their mouths, the need for a product made without harmful chemicals and dyes is important.  Cleaning has never been easy. Just detach the cloth from the ring via velcro and put it in the wash! It's both safe and efficient, enabling your baby/toddler to satisfy their chewing/teething needs au naturale.

Ringley Natural Teethers comes in 5 innovative designs:  RiNGLEY Junior, RiNGLEY Knotted, RiNGLEY Ball {with rattle inside}, RiNGLEY Straight, RiNGLEY sun.  Take your pick and go au naturale!

A Hunt for Grandma's Double Stroller

I consider myself pretty lucky I don't have to take my daughter to day care.  Instead,  my mom looks after both my daughter and nephew while my sister and I are at work.   My mom loves to take walks around the park near her home, so my sister and I got her a double stroller.  We wanted to get a stroller that would be easy for her to use and at the same time all terrain so if she wanted to take them somewhere with no sidewalks she wouldn't find it too difficult to push.

I knew that if I got an all terrain stroller made by a popular brand my mom would probably freak out since it is pretty expensive, so I had to think about the cost too.  After doing research, I found the Instep Safari Swivel Double Jogger to be the best candidate. 

• The front wheel actually locks forward for easier control or can swivel.  
• Each child has their own canopy so if one wants more sun than the other, no problem.  
• One child can be inclined to seated position while the other can be in a sleeping position.
• Each child has their own tray w/ cup holder.
• The rear pnuematic tires are 16' while the front is 12'.
• The handle is one solid bar that goes across which was a must by my mom's request.
• It also comes with 2 parent cup holders too!  My mom can also take a water bottle for herself.
• The compartment underneath is pretty big and easy to get to.  
• The cost....$179.99! 

A Must Have for New Moms!

As you may know from my previous post,  breastfeeding and maintaining milk supply is a lot of work. Some people think you just put the baby there and wala the baby can get milk any time. It doesn't work that way at all. You need to build up supply by breastfeeding and pumping 24/7. Going back to work makes the task even harder because you no longer have a baby that will remind you that it is feeding time.  Instead, you have to find time to pump and schedule it around meetings. The Medela Freestyle pump helped me a lot to achieve this. This pump may be $330-$350, but it is so worth it!   If there are any first time moms out there who haven't gotten a pump get this one!  It is expensive, but I already broke even just after 3 months of pumping.

Below is a list of why I love this pump:

• Its weight.  It is ONLY 1 lb (No need to carry around a heavy bag with you. This one is so light.)
• Rechargeable and also has an AC adaptor (Bigplus! No need for an outlet if you don't have access to one.   This makes this pump totally portable.  The battery lasts one whole day for me. That's 6 sessions ~20 minutes long)
• Dual pump (cuts down pumping time)
• Has digital display, memory, timer, and backlight (you can keep track of how long you've pumped in the middle of the night when it is pitch black)

Cuz I get a kick out of you...

When we first brought home our son as a newborn, his skin was so sensitive to various wipes we decided to go cloth.  Yes, I said cloth!  That’s when I found out about Babykicks, which makes their wipes and burp cloths from all natural and organic materials.

I love their Babykicks Hemparoo Washies/Wipes which come in a pack of 10.  They are  are 7.5" by 9.5" ovals. The soft fleece is ideally suited for thorough cleanups. They are a must have for the bath tub, changing table, high chair and diaper bag! When you are done using them, I just throw them in the washer. Babykicks Hemparoo Washies/Wipes comes in blue, green, red, ivory, golden, pink, and lavender.

I also got their Babykicks Hemparoo Duz-it-all which is two layers of soft, easy to use hemp/cotton knit.  They are 13" by 17". I use the Duz-it-all as burp clothes and emergency wipes for bigger jobs, such as milk spills.  These Duz-it-all cloths are super absorbent as well.  I never leave home with out it. Babykicks Hemparoo Duz-it-all also comes in blue, green, red, ivory, golden, pink, and lavender.

My Baby Loves Recaro

Before I met my husband, I didn't even know who or what Recaro was.   He explained to me that Recaro is a well known brand in motor sports.  Before Recaro, most automobile seats were similar to regular chairs found in our homes.  Recaro changed all that and created automobile seats with side support.  My hubby loves the Recaro seats in his cars, so when we found out we were expecting he said we should splurge and get our baby a Recaro baby seat.   I looked on Amazon and found they were selling the ProRider $50.00 off which was pretty good considering they're priced at $275.  I ended up getting one in Misty (fancy word for grey... of course it had to match the interior of my vehicle).

Things I love about the Recaro seat are:

• The buckles and snaps are good quality.  They are easy to snap on but still secure.  This helps my fingers from getting caught.  Very convenient when you are in a hurry and when strapping a fussy baby/child into the seat.
• This maybe not on everyone's list but Recaro convertible ProRIDE  looks good.
• Pretty plush and comfy for the baby/child especially on long road trips. Included mesh inserts for air circulation is a plus.
• Headrest adjustable by easy knobs at the back.  The 5-point harness is easily adjustable (Love this)! 
• Side impact protection
• Approved for use on airline seats  

O-ball

I was a little hesitant buying the O-ball for my son thinking he may not like it since it's just a ball with holes, but boy was I wrong!  The O-ball is one of my son's favorite toys.  The ball has holes where the baby can easily grab it.  He can spend a good 30 mins just putting his hands randomly into the holes, grabbing it, turning the ball around, and throwing the ball.  It's a good way for the baby to develop their hand and eye coordination.  I just leave the ball on my son's chest while he's lying down, and he just takes the ball and starts playing it.

The ball is made of very flexible material so you can throw it at someone and it won't hurt.  You can even put the ball in the dishwasher if you want a quick wash!  It's so durable.

Rhino Toys O-ball gets two thumbs up from my son.  I highly recommend getting this ball for anyone who wants their baby to practice their hand and eye coordination.

The Fan Club

Trying to be green is something that I now try to do especially since I now have a little one to think about.  Have to think about little cupcake’s future.  So, when looking for a light fixture for her nursery I kind of knew I wanted a ceiling fan.  Since it only gets hot a couple days out of a year where we live, we didn’t want to install an A/C in our home.  A ceiling fan would be a more perfect way to cool my daughter’s room on those really hot summer nights.

I knew I wanted a light/ceiling fan that had clean lines giving a modern look to the room.  I also wanted a fan that was quiet when turned on. After looking for the perfect ceiling fan, I found one.  Of course the one I wanted was the one from Restoration Hardware, so I had to look for an alternative which didn’t hurt my wallet ($329).

Concept Ceiling fan from Restoration Hardware $329

After searching the web, I finally found one which was almost half the price and on sale at Lamps Plus!  I loved the price so much I decided to get it for all the bedrooms in the house.  I got the Casa Vieja ceiling fans for $170.00 each.   

We love the Casa Vieja ceiling fan because:

• it's quiet
• the light can be dimmed (which is very handy especially on nights when we have to change her diaper or do a feeding)
• the fan has 3 speeds
• it's an inexpensive way to cool the house

44" Casa Vieja Probe Ceiling Fan

Taking a Long Flight? Consider Playtex Drop-in Bottles

My hubby and I recently took a trip to visit his parents overseas.  The total flight time was 18+ hrs and included 2 stopovers  This meant I would have to feed my little “cupcake” 6 times during the whole duration of our trip. 

Two concerns I had while I was pondering on what to pack were:

1.) I didn’t want to pack six 8 oz bottles in our carry on with all the diapers I was going to have to lug around.  

2.) I also didn’t want to use the water on the airplane to wash the bottles (especially since there’s a sign in the bathroom stating the water is not to be used for drinking).

I found out about Playtex Drop-ins from my cousin who had taken her daughter to Italy, so after looking it up online I decided to try it out.  With Playtex Drop-ins I just had to pack one bottle, 6 bottle nipples, and 6 Drop-in liners.   When it came to washing I just needed to switch the bottle nipples and toss the liner after each feeding.  No need to wash the bottle!  I am aware this isn't the "greenest" solution, but with the amount of time I had it was the best.

Otherwise, this was one happy mama.

http://www.playtexbaby.com/Bottles/Dropins