Happy Thursday! Thanks for stopping by to link up. While you’re here, make sure you enter to win a $300 American Express card from Pampers so you can celebrate a growing family by hosting a baby shower.
While you’re linking giveaways, head over to Baby Loving Mama and enter your great contests there, too. Don’t forget to enter the awesome Eucerin prize package.
Here are some of our favorite splat mats designed to protect your floors. And your sanity.
Just Buzzin By Splat Mat ($50)
Generously sized at 36″ x 44″, Just Buzzin’ By splat mats are made with a non-toxic laminated fabric top and sturdy oilcloth bottom. Splat mats are wipeable, and though not recommended by the manufacturer we learned they are also machine washable.
Sugar Booger Jumbo Floor Mat
Made from laminated cloth canvas, the Sugar Booger Floor Mat measures 42 inches square and comes with its own storage case. The designs will delight kids with colors that won’t make a parents eyes bleed. Sugar Booger offers great coordinating kitchen gear from plates to bibs.
Jill Watson Design Custom Reversible Splat Mat ($38)
Design your own Splat Mat with a choice of eight beautiful oilcloth fabrics from Jill Watson Design on Etsy. The default listing size is 35 inches square, but it’s available in larger sizes, as well.
Mimi the Sardine Organic Splash Mat
Made from organic cotton, Mini the Sardine Splat Mat is safe for machine wash and dry – a great convenience, to be sure. The Splat Mat measures 42 inches square. Coordinating place mats and bibs are available.
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We’re cooking up some fun in July. Check out all of our must haves products to enjoy life In the Kitchen with Kids.
I have a new crush. It is not a person (don’t worry, honey). No, my crush is on an entire clothing line. I first heard of Tulle a couple months ago and was immediately enamored with the awesome stylish clothes for women – including moms – and really thought the prices must be too good to be true. Turns out, it’s not too good to be true. Tulle is everything I want in clothes: fashionable yet accessible, classic and still funky, vintage but modern and totally affordable.
At its heart, Tulle has always aimed to design vintage inspired modern clothing. The word itself – tulle – conjures up classic notions of femininity and creativity. Tulle fabric has been a basic building block of gowns, veils and, of course, ballet tutus – all beautifully simple silhouettes that are simultaneously designed with great attention to detail. We strive to capture the essence of “tulle” and reflect it in all that we create.
Tulle was very generous to send me some sample items from their collection. I was immediately struck by the combination of bright colors (think orange and yellow) and more safe tones (black and grey). The first piece of Tulle I wore was an awesome ruffled orange top when my husband and I were in the Bahamas. It was perfect paired with white shorts, wedge espadrilles and gold jewelry. I felt awesome and I received the ultimate compliment for a midwestern girl: an acquaintance we met the night before said, “You look so chic. You look like you’re from New York City, not Ohio.” And that was straight from the mouth of a Brooklynite who works in fashion. Score 1 for Tulle and The Shopping Mama.
Another bright piece that I just adore is the yellow jacket (similar to the Short Jacket for $83). I know this will be a staple in my fall wardrobe, and how could it not? It’s beautifully made, flattering and an head-turner. I admit that I’m usually “safe” in my wardrobe choices, but I love the pop of color provided by this jacket. I can throw it over my usual staple of jeans plus black shirt and immediately look and feel infinitely more stylish.
The Seamed Shorts (on sale for $33) are in my typical color choice, but the style is different from what I usually wear. The bold buttons and cross over look, and well, the fact that they’re shorts make it a stretch for me. But I am pleasantly surprised by how much I like them – and how cool I feel wearing them. I paired the top with a simple black turtleneck tee and heels.
I found the fit on each piece of Tulle Clothing to be pretty true to size. I usually wear a 4/6 which is a Medium in Tulle sizing.
To Buy… I will certainly be adding more Tulle to my closet. I love the clothes I received and could easily add another ten pieces to my collection on a shopping spree tonight. The quality of the clothes is well worth the price (I was impressed with the jacket and shorts lining).
Or Not to Buy… Right now Tulle is only available in size 0 – 10. I’d love to see the collection expand to include larger sizes.
Shop! Tulle clothes are available online at Tulle4Us.com. There’s a very well-stocked Sale section that’s definitely worth checking out. Make sure you follow Tulle on Twitter as they are often rewarding followers with exclusive discount codes.
Charlie, strapped in and ready for the trip to Family Weekend!
To follow up on last week, Charlie had a great time at Family Weekend. My favorite moments were the ones in which he smiled and belly laughed with his grandfather, who had an immense amount of fun coming up with the funniest faces to entertain his grandson. He was passed around at the family party, happily charming cousin after cousin. I dare say he was “a hit.”
And as if that wasn’t enough, Charlie had his first day at daycare yesterday and it went very well. He fell asleep in the car on the way and wasn’t happy when he woke up in an unfamiliar place, but after a quick nursing session in a corner of his new classroom, he was all smiles and didn’t seem to mind that we were walking out the door. When we arrived to pick him up, he was happily propped on a Boppy pillow making smiles with one of his teachers. But the biggest smile of all was when we came into his view. He giggled, smiled, stretched out his hands, and actually jiggled with excitement. I don’t know about any of the other parents out there, but my day…no, my YEAR…was made in that moment.
Other parts of the first day were a success, too. The teacher handled his cloth diapers like a pro and had no complaints. Our feeding system of part breastmilk, part formula worked out surprisingly well. I worried that they might have trouble figuring out how to latch him on to our special bottle nipples, but that went smoothly as he drank four bottles in our absence! He napped, he played, he ate…it seemed that he enjoyed himself all around. He is only going to daycare on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but I’m confident that tomorrow will be tearless and easy. (For me, that is.)
Going back to our weekend with family, my husband and I had a long discussion on the car ride home about the idea of moving to the suburbs/country to be closer to family. The relationship that Charlie is forming with my dad, my brother, and the rest of the family, is one that we want to encourage. A prime example: my dad coached a myriad of sports teams for me and my brother, and his face lit up when I said that we should move back to NJ so he can coach t-ball for Charlie. I was joking at the time, but the more we think about it, the more it seems like a not-so-bad idea.
Philly is a wonderful city, full of history, things to do, diversity, and a low hum of a constant energy that we love. But the schools here are almost irreparably broken, our neighborhood is gentrifying but very, very slowly, and in a couple years we will outgrow our tiny little house and need to move anyway. My husband and I met in New York City, where we lived for five years before moving to Philly. Even though we both grew up in NYC suburbs, we consider ourselves to be city folk. We felt our childhoods lacked the diversity and artistic stimulation that comes from being in an urban environment and we wanted those opportunities for Charlie. But we also want safety, relative calm, a good education, a yard to play in…and more counter space. So while we aren’t leaving any time soon, we’ll continue our discussions as we look at the nearby towns and weigh our options.
Did you make the move from city to suburbs, or vice versa, after having children? What were your reasons? Any regrets?
The Flavor Over Fizz Challenge from Crystal Light couldn’t have come at a better time. Obviously, with swimsuit season in full effect, I’m always looking for ways to improve my eating habits and, hopefully, my bod. Drinking more water is a no-brainer way to improve my diet. The Flavor Over Fizz Challenge calls on women to replace at least one diet soda every day with Crystal Light. The goal is to drink more water and enjoy different flavors.
I’ve been on board with the challenge for over a week. I admit that I got into a rut of drinking a morning coffee followed by soda all.day.long. It’s horrible, I know, so I was eager to drink more water every day. And, hey, if I have to flavor it to drink it, so be it.
Crystal Light is available in more than 30 flavors including a limited-edition mocktail collection with flavors like Mojito, Appletini and Margarita. The collection also includes the Refreshing flavors – classics like Lemonade, Pure – without artificial flavors, preservatives or sweeteners, and Enhanced – with ingredients aimed at improving metabolism, energy, antioxidants, and more. Most flavors are only five calories per serving.
I was skeptical about whether I’d really be able to replace my soda with Crystal Light, but so far I’m all in. And when I hit the grocery store tomorrow, Crystal Light will be in my shopping cart. I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I like drinking my Energy Wild Strawberry every day. And to make my On the Go flavor packets last longer, I usually mix half the mix with a bottle of water and it tastes perfect.
Join the Challenge! Head over to Crystal Light’s Facebook page and join the Flavor Over Fizz Challenge. When you pledge to replace a soda with Crystal Light you can also enter to win some fab prizes.
Shop! Crystal Light products are available on Amazon
My son has enjoyed using a balance bike for years now. At this point he actually prefers it to the “big boy bike” we bought him in the spring. Knowing him, I think he likes the control he feels, the ability to scoot and cruise with his feet always near the ground. I like knowing that he’s moving and active and learning to balance – a step towards riding that bike should he ever decide he wants to. Given that he loves it, I was super excited to get a special balance scooter bike for my daughter – and the Whirl Balance Scooter by Prince Lionheart seriously couldn’t be any cuter.
Prince Lionheart’s whirl balance SCOOTER™ will teach your child how to balance – a crucial skill necessary before transitioning to a two-wheeled pedal bicycle. Your child’s sense of independence and self-confidence will become evident as they learn to balance and steer at their own pace: first walking, then gliding!
My daughter is fearless - like, scary fearless. She will seriously try anything and she was so eager to get moving on the Whirl and chase her brother down the sidewalk. Luckily, the Whirl was quick and easy to assemble – it was literally only a matter of minutes from box to scooting as the majority of the box was pre-assembled.
Once the bike was assembled we hit the sidewalk for some test runs. My daughter was surprisingly resistant to actually move on the bike. I adjusted the seat height to its lowest setting, making it 15 inches from ground to seat, and that helped a bit. (For reference, my daughter is two and a half years old, 30 pounds and 36 inches tall.) In an effort to encourage my daughter, my son took a “whirl” – Ha! Get it? – on the balance bike and he loved it. He zoomed up and down the sidewalk without hesitation. My daughter really loves the bike and is pretty enamored of it, but she spends most of her modeling and posing on it. Much to my surprise, she just doesn’t seem interested in racing down the street.
Note: We recommend a helmet when moving and scootin. And not just posing.
After playing around with the bike myself and watching both my kids with it, I think the issue for my daughter is that the Whirl is heavier than other balance bikes we’ve used. The Whirl weighs 12.4 pounds and another balance bike we use weights 7.6 pounds. The weight isn’t an issue for my 4.5 year old son, but the extra five pounds does make it harder for my daughter to ride and scoot. Of course, that weight looks good! The Whirl is just adorable – from the faux pink light at the front to the racing stripe on the side, it is really a great looking bike.
If the pink cuteness of the Whirl Scooter isn’t a good fit for your family, check out Prince Lionheart’s other scooter the Chop. Also high in style, the Chop is purposefully reminiscent of a motorcycle. Isn’t it great?
To Buy… Balance Scooters are a great stepping stone for toddlers and preschoolers toward riding a bike. The bikes are a fun way to get moving and the Whirl design is unmatched – it’s so stylish and unique.
Or Not to Buy… The Whirl is on the heavy side, making it a bit more challenging for smaller kids. I definitely think it’s better suited for kids on the older end of the 2 to 5 year old recommended age group.
Shop! The Prince Lionheart Whirl Balance Bike is available for $99 at Toys R Us.
How to Enter: Visit Prince Lionheart and leave a comment here with another product you’d like to try.
Bonus Entries – valid only after completing the first required entry. Please leave a separate comment for each you do.
Giveaway ends July 22. Open to US residents only.
“I went to the grocery store today, so it’s takeout for dinner.” Do you get the irony? It’s certainly not lost on me. On the days that I go to the grocery store, I prepare and clean up two meals, plan a week’s worth of meals, organize a shopping list, let my children nap and try to run to the store before they are hungry for dinner. After arriving home, unloading the car and putting away the groceries, we’re all starving. There is simply no time to prepare a dinner as well.
But even on the days I don’t go to the grocery store, I often feel pressed for time and supplies for putting healthy meals on the table. Sarah Kallio and Stacey Krastins were feeling the same pressures. Unlike me, they did something about it.
Authors of The Stocked Kitchen: One Grocery List… Endless Recipes
The philosophy is simple, use the trademarked shopping list as a checklist before going to the store. Once you’ve marked all the items you do not have, you know what to purchase. And once you have all items on hand, you can make any of the recipes. And because you are shopping for the ingredients, you can tailor the list to fit any dietary restrictions including low-sodium, low-fat, organic, etc.
But the authors don’t stop there, they encourage readers to embrace a new way of organizing the kitchen and the cooking that takes place there. They encourage purging all grocery items that are not on the list and, during the purge, performing a deep clean and organization of the kitchen. I know, I was thinking the same thing, “How do they know my refrigerator is in need of a deep clean?” They seem to know there is a three-year-old tube of sun-dried tomato paste leaking in my produce drawer.
I know what you’re thinking. What are these 400+ recipes if a single shopping list can supply them all? While I haven’t had time to try them all, here’s the list of those that I’ll be making soon: Tuscan Baked Cannellini Beans, Creamy Broccoli Soup, Asian Vinaigrette Coleslaw, Chocolate Chip Scones, Italian Vinaigrette Salad, Chicken Florentine.
That’s just a short list, there really are too many that look delish to list here. There are also many seafood recipes, but I don’t care for seafood, so they didn’t make my short list. Preschool girl and I did make the Southwest Pasta Salad together and she claims, “dis is da best dinner ever!” And while it was very tasty, I must balance that with the fact that my son barely ate any at all. Please note that most picky eaters will always eat pasta. Not my boy. He takes picky to a whole new level. We ate very last bite of the warm pasta salad and, because the recipe makes a good quantity, it took us several days to do it. Served with steamed vegetables, this one meal lasted us for three days.
This rich, warm Southwest Pasta Salad was incredibly yummy and filling.
Like most normal children, preschool girl gobbled up all her pasta salad first. Don’t get me started on toddler boy’s eating habits.
To Buy… If you are looking for help organizing your dinner routine and finding recipe inspiration at the same time, The Stocked Kitchen: One Grocery List… Endless Recipes
Not to Buy… If you like trying recipes with exotic ingredients and enjoy the challenge of preparing complex meals, The Stocked Kitchen: One Grocery List… Endless Recipes
Shop! The Stocked Kitchen: One Grocery List… Endless Recipes
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We’re cooking up some fun in July. Check out all of our must haves products to enjoy life In the Kitchen with Kids.
In the Kitchen With: Skip Hop Mate Feeding Plate and Utensils
Why We Like It: The perfect first plate for little ones eager to feed themselves, the Skip Hop Mate includes sectioned plate that fits onto a skid-resistant place mat. The set also includes a fork and spoon that have their own spaces on the plate mat. BPA, Phthalate and PVC-free and dishwasher safe, the set is just as practical as it is fun. Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? Actually, his name is Scott Henderson and we think he’s pretty darn cool because this set is awesome.
Shop! The Skip Hop Mate Plate and Utensil set is available in blue, orange and pink for a suggested price of $20. Find it and other favorites for In the Kitchen with Kids in The Shopping Mama’s Amazon store.
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We’re cooking up some fun in July. Check out all of our must haves products to enjoy life In the Kitchen with Kids.
Moms: find a pre-screened day care center near you.
Want to find creative Halloween costumes? Visit our friends at FancyDressBall.
If you are looking for information about partnering with The Shopping Mama™ blog, please email for a current Media Kit. The Shopping Mama™ was founded by Kate Marsh Lord in January of 2009 to share the latest and greatest in gear, clothes and toys for kids. After graduating law school and moving around the world with her Air Force husband, Kate settled down and had two beautiful little ones. The children changed her online motivation from researching legal issues to tracking down the
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