www.eSwaddle.com™ Grand Opening! Where the World of Luxury Meets Convenience…

 A luxuriously soft blanket is the perfect gift for a new mom and baby.  Beautifully crafted, SwaddleDesign Receiving Blanket is the choice of moms who demand the best of quality and style.  When the babies are little it’s really nice to give them extra security and wrap them but many moms are unsure on how to do this.  When boy2001 was born I asked the nurse (several times) to help me swaddle him.  I practiced relentlessly until I got a good technique down.  For boy2001 he would only tolerate one hand being tucked in, he wanted his other little hand by his face… it was sooo cute!!

Even summer babies need to be swaddled but it is harder when it’s hot, that’s where the swaddle designs come in.  They offer the perfect weight and styles for swaddling in any season.  I love the little tag with the swaddling instructions!!

www.eSwaddle.com is the best source for sophisticated mothers and those who shop for them. With a simple click of a mouse, shoppers will discover that they could find everything they need in one shop! From SwaddleDesigns new Summer Swaddle™ to their award winning and signature product, the Ultimate Receiving Blanket® with coordinating Baby Burpies™ and Baby Lovie™, SwaddleDesigns is a beloved brand for style seeking moms and celebrities alike.

Summer of 2008 has been all about heat waves and thunderstorms, both extremes forcing me and the kids inside lots of days by noon. Thank goodness for Netflix, Pillsbury croissants and board games!

We received Briarpatch I Spy Memory Game to test and it’s been a lifesaver… all three kids enjoy the game in different ways. The first and easiest game is Memory. Everybody loves it, simple, easy to understand game that does not require reading.  I also love it because the images on the card are of real objects, not obnoxious characters! Girl2006 can name most of the cards so it’s nice to build vocabulary, of course she has little to no ability to remember where the matches are but she tries! Girl2004 and Boy2001 play with ease and it’s great for them to play amongst themselves.

Another game you can play with this set is the I Spy Fun with Riddles Game. This is recommended for children 6 and up. It’s quite fun to play, boy2001 and I play when the girls can’t focus on memory anymore. This is my personal favorite way to use this set… the perfect mix of memory and reasoning.

We’ve also tried the I SPY Riddle Memory Game which is much more challenging to follow for boy2001.  I’m working on encouraging boy2001 to try this more. My kids are really enjoying it, I would recommend to any parents to open up the game and seperate the cards before presenting to kids. It’s an easy process but you know how it is when kids want to “help”. I highly recommend I SPY Memory and Picture Riddle Game for fun with a purpose sessions.

Reading Required

Suggested for Ages 4+

What do you spy?

you really need the vacation!

I’ve been planning and worrying and thinking and re-thinking and hopefully crossing dotting all my I’s.

S-T-R-E-S-S

Forgive the irregular posting, when I get back things will get back to normal.

Did your parents go to extraordinary lengths to get you the must have toys?  To my knowledge my mother did once, she braved a store to get me a cabbage patch doll.  Now, the next thing I am going to say is sure to ruffle some feathers, I didn’t even want it.

I don’t recall EVER asking for a specific toy.  I had no clue about what toys to ask for I think.  I went to school, walked home and was a latch key kid.  I had one friend in my building that I was authorized to call for some play time.  She didn’t have a lot of toys, she was the only girl I really played with at home.  She had more than I did but didn’t have ’it’ toys.  We both had very plain rooms, books, a doll or two, a few teddy bears and posters.

Being a latch key kid I did watch a LOT Of television but I don’t recall any toy ads during them.  I do have to admit I would do my homework during the commercials so maybe I was occupied and not paying attention and I didn’t watch kid cartoons.  I watched Little House, What’s Happenning, Gilligan’s Island, HBO, etc…  I wanted toys in general but not anything specific to my recollection.

As far as what I’d do, I think my response would be: not much.

I can’t imagine going very far to get a toy for my kids.  I feel there are enough issues in the world, children without food, etc… If companies don’t make enough toys to meet demand then my kids will have to wait until demand dies down.  I would call around maybe, drive an hour or so to pick up if it was really all the hotness.

I’d be much more likely to buy online, especially during a FREE Shipping Blitz!  now through August 2, you can shop Hasbro’s Hot Summer Toys and get free shipping!  You can trust Hasbro, not one of their toys has been linked to the concerns on lead in children’s toys! Check out Hasbro’s Safety Standards. 

I am seriously contemplating the Baby Alive items, Furreal Friends stuff and Monopoly game.  If you’d like to read about more parent experiences in toy shopping head on over to PBN.  I can’t help but be impressed with Hasbro, for every toy purchased during their Hot Summer Toys Event, they will donate one (up to $400,000) to economically disadvantaged children.

I cannot wait!  we’ll be going on a road trip to Disney next month.  It’s gonna be so much fun, right?!

yeah, we’re gonna show our tots the country, or at least the view from the highway.  We’re going to stop and see grandma in North Carolina along the way and then it’s 7 nights at the Pop Resort.  I’m really hoping it’s gonna be fun to see the kids’ faces light up when we go to the Magic Kingdom.

We went with the dining plan, I hope that was the right decision, now I just have to see about how to get reservations for all the breakfasts.  I found some really good sites so far.

Mouse Savers

Dis Boards

Mom Panel

How’s summer going people?  hope all is well, I’ve been drooling over some things online and need to post all this in one place to know which way to turn.  I’ve been purging my closet to the point where I have NOTHING left to wear, it’s absolutely ridiculous I tell you.

First off the mainstay of my lifestyle is JEANS.  I recently saw a video showcasing PZI jeans. The jeans made for women with some junk in the trunk.  All you need is a booty and a contoured waist, simple enough. 

When I was youner I perfected how to put a seam in my jeans.  I learned from my cousins in Brazil… it’s super easy but it’s much simpler to buy the jeans that fit from the beginning, right?!  so that’s where PZI comes in.  I haven’t bought any yet but it seems you buy from your waist size, there’s 2 inches of stretch f

Thirteen Things about PajamaMomPajama Mom… 1. is originally from Queens, New York 2. is currently planning a Disney vacation for immediate departure 3. loves classic television shows 4. dreams of being on some kind of television game show 5. needs to lose weight, 50 pounds would be good 6. loves to eat Captain Crunch 7. watches too much reality tv 8. loves to blog 9. wants to work from home 10. loves to make friends 11. dreams of milk chocolate cake 12. is too cheap to get a pro pedicure 13. needs to get some sleep!

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My kids have been loving Doodle Doug, we’ve seen the commercials for so long. I finally broke down when girl2004 went to redeem her $3 birthday coupon.  Doodle Doug was marked down to about $5 so I was expecting to pay $2.xx out of pocket and very happy with that situation.  When the cashier announced the total, $.36 I was floored.  The box was damaged a little so maybe they discounted it further.  Anyway, he works very well, his head is wobbly and falls off quite a bit, but other than that you just need a big sheet of paper and let him entertain.

Hope you get one at a great price!

Once upon a time, a man and a lady spent lots of time away from home.  Beach trips, site seeing and club hopping topped the list.  Every few months they went on a new adventure to a distant land.  After 6 years of marriage boy2001 joined the family and the vacations turned into memories.  There were diapers to buy and a college fund to build.

They made little side trips to Montreal & Quebec and visited family in Florida and New York but the all American family vacation didn’t happen. 

Ok, enough with the fairytale, you get the point, we led a charmed life, travel, disposable income, etc…  then we became a one income military household with child.  We’ve taken two full-blown vacations since that special delivery in 2001.  The first was a Carnival Cruise in 2003.  Boy2001 had a BLAST, we loved the childcare, it was my first time EVER being away from him and they did a great job.  Totally amazing experience, it was all inclusive which was wonderful, once you pay you’re done.

The second vacation was in May 2007 we packed all three kids up to go to France.  That’s right, we added not one but two girls since our last vacay! It was wonderful for us to see the sites and introduce the kids to the history of France.  The kids were most impressed with the Eiffel Tower and castles, they still talk about it all the time.   It was of course a very expensive trip, even with family in the area to feed us a few meals and give us great advice.  Well worth it of course but getting further out of reach for most people with the dollar being so weak.

It makes sense to look for all-inclusive deals that will feed, lodge, entertain and make you and your kids feel well rested and relaxed. Beaches Resorts is offering just that!  There are swim-up bars, tennis, fitness centers, not to mention anytime snacks, gourmet and specialty cuisine restaurants for you to choose from.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner without shopping, chopping or dishes.

Roundtrip airport transfers, hotel taxes and ALL gratuities are included in the price.  All of this is great but what will the kids think?  I know mine would go crazy for the muppet activities aka Caribbean Adventures with Sesame Street®.  Some of the adventures are story time with Elmo, baking cookies with Cookie Monster?!! Dance moves with Zoe, exploring with Grover.  Girl2004 and Girl2006 would lose it, they’re completely into the characters but I think even boy2001 would allow himself to get involved with these activitites if he was with his sisters. 

I know all the kids would fully enjoy trips to the XBOX 360® Game Garage, we broke out the old Nintendo 64 and I was shocked at how quickly boy2001 and girl2004 picked up on it.  By now you may be thinking, my family could use a Beaches vacation.

  where do I sign up?

Just visit the Beaches Resort WonderFall website to request a quote on your favorite resort.  The WonderFALL celebration will take place between September 1 and November 4, 2008, save up to 45% and get two nights free (when you stay 7). Check out all the contests, goodie bags a new stage show and more on Beaches’ WonderFALL website and please keep me posted if you do go!  You must book by July 17th to get the special pricing.  Choose from family Beaches Boscobel, Sandy Bay, Negril, Turks & Caicos.

This is written in connection with Mom Central, a great organization for women who want to be heard.

 

Little House on the Prairie is my favorite show of all time.  I can’t help it, just like an old friend, the good people of Walnut Grove are always there.  I absolutely love “ma” played by Karen Grassle.  I’ve always thought she was a handsome woman as they would have said back in the old days.  Now I think she is just beautiful… so natural and her features are so average but the look all together is flawless!  anyway, here’s the vid that I’ve watched at least 100 times featuring Karen Grassle.