Bedtime Blues

Ugh, Monkey won't sleep tonight.

Here's a conversation from a little while ago:

Daddy (hollaring upstairs):  What are you doing?
Monkey: I'm wet.
Daddy (opening stairs door): You know how to go potty, use the potty.  You just have to ask.
Monkey: Can I ask?
Daddy: Yes.
Monkey: May I go potty?

oi!

Swaddlekinz: Review & Giveaway

Did you know I'm pregnant?  If you don't know that, you haven't been reading my blog very long.  Since I'm pregnant, I'm always on the lookout for great baby products to share with my readers.

Recently I learned about Swaddlekinz blankets.  These are amazing and I can't wait to use the "brightest orange, light green circles" blanket on baby Azariah.

Why am I so excited about this particular blanket?

NURSING

I have never used a "nursing cover" with my boys - I've always just used a blanket.  In fact, I've used "Nana's Magic Blanket" - this is a thick fleece blanket that all of my mom's grandkids get when their born.  It's fantastically soft and lovable.. but in the spring and summer it gets HOT!  Swaddlekinz blankets are light weight because they're made of muslin, which is very breathable.  This blanket will be PERFECT for spring and summer nursing!

SWADDLING

Crackers loved to be swaddled.  He went to sleep with just swaddling and a pacifier until he was about 9 months old.  He's a January baby, so that means that all summer last year, he was swaddled.  We used a double thick flannel blanket that had been specially made for him.  It was great in the colder months, but when we went on vacation to North Carolina in June, it was miserable.  My poor baby HAD to be swaddled in this thick flannel blanket in order to sleep and it was 80+ degrees outside.  Yuck!

Again, muslin is breathable and will be much more comfortable for baby in the summer months.  I plan to swaddle Azariah as well.  The size of this blanket is perfect for swaddling any baby - it will be easy to fold when he's newborn, and if he still wants to be swaddled when he's 2, it should work.  (I tried it on 20 month old Crackers - he got really mad, but it worked).

SNUGGLING

Monkey chose the teal stripes, Crackers has the purple stripes

Truthfully, my boys love blankets, especially soft ones.  The day Azariah's blanket arrived, Monkey came downstairs, saw the blanket, and curled up next to me on the couch, snuggling the blanket.  Muslin is a material that gets softer the more it's washed - I tested this by washing 1 multiple times, another 2 times, and a third not at all.  They feel so nice on the skin that it's hard to resist snuggling in the Swaddlekinz blanket.

CAR RIDES

My boys like comfort objects, they're just at the ages where they become attached to certain things.  Their Swaddlekinz blankets have become especially dear to them in the car - we have to keep them with us and they are very particular about which blanket belongs to which boy.  They're not super thick, so I don't have to worry about the boys overheating, but on days (like today) when preggo mama has to turn up the air conditioning and they complain about being cold - they can cover up and keep some warmth!

Monkey is playing "turtle", Crackers is wrestling

IMAGINATION

Oh my goodness - Monkey is full of imagination right now and Crackers follows right along with his imaginary games.  It is so much fun and the Swaddlekinz blankets have sparked a HOST of games and fun imaginary play.  A few of our great fun uses have included playing "turtle" - a game Monkey learned from his 6 year old cousin Little Lout over the summer.  Crackers thinks that "turtle" is a great excuse for wrestling.

Flying

Swaddlekinz make AMAZING capes for flying off of just about anything.  Monkey loves to fly (that's good since he loves to climb, right?)

OTHER USES

These make great forts and tablecloths, changing pads, and play mats.  Swaddlekinz truly grow with your children.  

SPECIAL BENEFIT

During the month of September, Swaddlekinz is donating $2 from every single blanket sold, and $5 from every 3 pack to CURE Childhood Cancer Foundation.  

They will also be participating in the blogger raffle to benefit CURE Childhood Cancer Foundation's cause.  Tickets for the raffle are only $10 each and 2 sets of Swaddlekinz will be included in the giveaway.

BUY NOW

Don't hesitate to buy these fantastic muslin blankets right now for your next baby, or your next baby shower.  I am certain that you know someone who would benefit from a Swaddlekinz blanket or blanket set.  Single blankets are $12 and 3 packs are only $30!

WIN THEM HERE

The generous folks at Swaddlekinz have offered to send a 3 pack of blankets to one of my readers!  This giveaway will be open to readers in the US and Canada.  The winning entry will be chosen at random on Monday, September 26 12:01 AM.

Chuck E Cheese: Review

Do you remember visiting Show Biz or Chuck E Cheese as a kid?  I have great memories from visiting those places with my Nonnie (grandma).  I remember large, singing, robotic puppets on multiple stages, lots of kids running everywhere, tokens, video games, tickets, cheap-o prizes, pizza, and pitchers of soda.

I loved visiting these "fine dining" establishments as a kid.  As I think back on those memories now, however - I cringe - I can't imagine WANTING to take my kids to a noisy, greasy, environment to play games and win trashy prizes.  Monkey is 3, Crackers is 20 months now - they're kind of young for this type of fun anyhow, right?

WELL - Tonight we had the opportunity to visit our local Chuck E Cheese in Fort Wayne, IN.  We were treated with a family pass, that includes a large pizza, 4 drinks, and 30 tokens.  As much as I hate to admit it, I was actually pretty excited about visiting and checking this out again.  It was nice to remember those many visits with my grandma.  It was also nice to have so many of my pre-conceptions about what I would find, changed.

SAFETY - was the first thing we noticed as we entered.  We learned that every family gets "stamped" as they come in.  The greeter puts an ultra-violet stamp on each party member's arm, each party gets their own number.  This "secret" number is checked by the greeter when the family leaves, to make sure that no one is leaving with children that they did not come with (I'm not sure how they were certain we didn't leave any children behind though).

CLEANLINESS - was also obviously a high value at the Chuck E Cheese in Fort Wayne.  While we were there, we saw a number of employees roaming the floor and keeping things cleaned.  They cleaned tables, floors, bathrooms, etc.  I did make sure we stopped in to the bathroom to check it out (a review is a good excuse for a pregnant mama with a pre-schooler, right).  The bathroom was moderately clean, there had just been a large group of young elementary aged children racing through it, so I would not expect perfection.

SERVICE - while we sat at our table waiting on pizza, then eating our meal, several employees stopped to make sure that we had been served and see if we needed anything.  They brought out spare plates and a flyer about birthday parties "with pleasure".  We received the type of pleasant greetings that we expect to find at one of the local fast food joints.  The response whenever we thanked someone was, "my pleasure".  (I love that response - it reminds me of when I lived in Costa Rica.... that's another story).

Most of the salad bar

He doesn't LOOK excited, but he could hardly wait to dig in.

FOOD - the food is moderately priced.  It is more expensive than a "regular" fast food restaurant, but not incredibly over priced.  It took 12 minutes from ordering to receiving our food, that's not too bad!  The salad bar (at our local Chuck E Cheese) is only $6.49 for unlimited use.  It looks like a fantastic salad bar, I think I would have preferred it over pizza - but I'm a salad lover.  The pizza was decent, they have a new recipe with more cheese and a different sauce.  I can't say that I really remember the old pizza and have little to compare it with.  It was pretty well covered with toppings, however for some reason there only appeared to be peppers and onions on half of the pizza.  There is a great variety of options for drinks, and free refills.

- another note - Monkey is not always fond of pizza, he's REALLY picky about what he'll eat on it, temperatures, and textures... he ate 2.5 pieces by himself and only quit because he wanted to play.

Monkey on "TV"

STAGE - remember that stage I talked about, the one with the giant robotic puppets.  I loved the shows and music.  There are 3 stages at the local Chuck E Cheese.  Left to right they look like this:  The Studio - a blue wall with a video camera, where children can stand, dance, etc and be "on television" while their adults watch in amusement.  The video screen/control area - they played a couple of videos, veggie tales and something else I didn't recognize, the control area let you see different video clips and even "spy" on people in the main seating area.  Finally on the right hand side, was Chuck E Cheese - the large robotic mouse puppet.  He seemed to be more of a DJ than anything, but the kids were still enamored with him.  

The show

BALL PIT - got you there, do you remember when they used to have those?  I loved the ball pit... unfortunately, I don't think you can find them at any Chuck E Cheese anymore.

GAMES/ENTERTAINMENT - I was SO wrong about Chuck E Cheese not being "little kid" friendly.  There was a whole area of rides and a big climber that my kids loved.  There is still plenty of activity for "big kids" too.  Mr. Crum and I even played some games to earn "tickets" for prizes.  The boys loved trying to help us play games like ski ball and operation.  There was plenty to do and we all had a fun time exploring our options.  All the games (as far as I could tell) were only one token - approx. 25c each (cheaper if you buy them in higher quantities).  

PRICES - As I've stated, the food prices at Chuck E Cheese are moderate - higher than McDonalds, but not incredibly expensive.  We got their Super Combo Pizza (which has 7 toppings), I believe a large was about $20.  Drinks were $1.50-$2 a piece.  To get our meal as a package (with 60 tokens) would run about $36.   Sandwiches are around $6.50, and salad bar is the same.  Chuck E Cheese also regularly offers coupons for the family!  

Selecting Souveneirs

SOUVENEIRS - Remember those cheapo little prizes?  They're still kind of cheap, but my 3 year old thinks that his crazy straw, spinning top, and plastic bug are the best things in the world.  My favorite souveneirs are the ones that we found in the "games" for a token each - photos of the boys on a ride, pictures of us "sketched", and "licenses" with my boy's pictures.  If you spend a lot of money or are REALLY good at games (3 year olds are not helpful at ticket winning games), you can get some other pretty neat stuff too.

PARTIES - Chuck E Cheese offers party packages for your little star - These birthday packages vary in what they contain and flyers can be picked up at your local Chuck E Cheese.  Packages appear to range between $12 and 16 per child, depending on your preferences.  Additional services can be added for an additional cost.  "New packages include a longer reservation time, as well as several new items for the birthday star. Plus, the special boy or girl has the opportunity to step into the Ticket Blaster and grab as many ticket vouchers as they can to redeem for awesome prizes!" says Chuck E Cheese.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

My Nonnie was crazy.  She loved her grandkids though and knew that we had a great time when we went to Show Biz and Chuck E Cheese, we had a great time.  I was impressed at the quality of service and the selection of entertainment, as well as the safety measures and cleanliness of our local Chuck E Cheese.  In our current situation, prices would be prohibitive for us to make this a "regular" event, but I do think it's something we may set aside for special occasions with our family as the boys grow.  

I also think it would be a fun date night with Mr. Crum - I'd love to go and have sandwiches or salads, and play games together.  It's kind of silly, but different from our "usual" date night (appetizers, coffee, and a movie at home).

Mixbook Photo Cards: Review

I recently had the opportunity to try Mixbook photo thank you cards.  I chose to use the "Tailored Dots Thank You Cards".  These can be found under the section, "birthday party thank you's".   The simple design of these cards was easy to customize.  Mixbook's editor was simple to use and the options were plentiful.  I chose to convert my cards from a "Thank you" to a general use card for our family, simply by changing the words.

These cards are high quality printing and I had a selection between matte and glossy finish.  For our purposes, I chose glossy cards.  5x7 cards start at the low price of $.49 each.  What an incredible deal for the ability to personalize your cards!

The service was super fast - I ordered my cards and they arrived only 4 days later!

One thing I wish I had realized is that the photo card is simply that, a card - it does not open up, it has a front and a back like a post card.  If I had realized that, I would have made space on the back of my cards for writing, instead of having a dark background on my entire card.

I will absolutely consider using Mixbook to print announcements when baby Crum comes, or for personal Christmas cards.



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.

Anxiety

Yep, 12:15 AM.  I'm still awake.  I'm anxious.  Today (at 8:30am) I am meeting OB #3 for this pregnancy.  The first one was fantastic, but a specialist, so we had to change to a "regular" OB when our insurance changed... The second one, let's just say we got off on the wrong foot.  Visiting her office gave me extremely high anxiety.  Tomorrow (er, today) I meet our final OB.  I've heard good things about this lady from some friends and am hopeful that this will be a better match.

My "secret" hopes:  that she'll tell me I need to work less (but not stop work at the church), and that she'll plan to induce baby 3 in about a month.

Ah, we'll see... soon.  For now, I need to convince my body to rest - it's going to be a very busy day!

So tired

Have you ever felt this tired.....

Hazelaid: Review & Giveaway (includes discount code)

The first thing you need to know is this: I'm a skeptic.  I hesitated about trying amber necklaces, because I was sure their usefulness was crazy hippie talk.  Then I tried one on my toddler, and was amazed at how well it worked.

The second thing you need to know is this: I'm pregnant - very pregnant.  I have lots of heartburn, as well as other aches and pains that go along with being pregnant.

Now - If you have heard or read about Hazelwood necklaces, you may know that they are supposed to help clear up problems with eczema, indigestion (such as heartburn), and other acid related problems.  The truth?  I did not believe that a hazelwood necklace would make a difference in my comfort while I am pregnant.

I was wrong.  The first week I had the necklace, I wore it around my neck (because that's where most people wear necklaces).  My heartburn got CRAZY BAD.  I mean, really really bad - I couldn't believe how much worse it was.  I wasn't sure whether to attribute it to the necklace, or being increasingly pregnant.

Don't you wish I'd painted my toenails?  I do, but I'm not sure I can reach them!

So, I wrote to Hazelaid.  The friendly folks there said they had recently talked with one other person that had similair problems, and suggested trying it on my ankle.  It seems that the hazelwood was drawing the acids up and causing the increased irritation.  Now I have been wearing it on my ankle for 2 weeks and have noticed an amazing DECREASE in heartburn.  I wanted to chalk it up to my body regulating itself better - until the day I forgot to put it on and noticed a flare up of heartburn.

It works for me.  Hazelwood makes a huge difference in my heartburn!

About Hazelaid

Service - "with a smile".  Well, I don't know if they were smiling, but they have certainly been friendly and helpful as I've worked with them.  Initially some of the things I ordered were out of stock, they were very good about communicating and offering other choices, they let me know as soon as the item was available and shipped right away.

Selection

I love the great selection of Amber and Hazelwood necklaces that Hazelaid offers.  They offer child and adult sizes in most of their products.  (I really loved the coffee colored amber necklace - and got one for baby Crum, but there is not one in my size - bummer).

Price  

Hazelaid's prices appear to be very competitive.  The best thing about their prices?  They frequently offer discounts through their Facebook page!  Children's amber bracelets starting at $10.95!

Overall Impression

Hazelaid offers quality products at fair prices.  They are excellent at serving their customers and stand behind their products.  I highly recommend their products to any parent with young children, or any adult experiencing chronic muscle pains, or indigestion, or eczema...
Even if amber and hazelwood do not work for your conditions, you end up with an inexpensive, stylish piece of jewelry for yourself or your loved one!

Wanna shop? Here's an exclusive discount promo code for 10% off your order!  Use the following code just below the zip code/postal code box in your shopping cart: CRUM10