About Funky Monkey Threads

Funky Monkey Threads offers top quality baby onesies, toddler & kids tees with funny, clever designs, or can be personalized. These designs will get tons of attention and be the hit of any baby shower or birthday party! 

Big Bro & Big Sis Shirts

I knew I wanted shirts for my son and daughter that coordinated, could be personalized with their names and their “titles” of Big Brother and Big Sister. I loved the simple and modern look of the retro mod circle design and knew they’d be the perfect shirts for my kids to wear when they meet their new sibling. The order and customization process was simple and the shirts arrived very quickly.

They turned out great, didn’t they?

The quality of the shirts are great and I can’t wait for my tots to wear them. At the moment, they’re packed in the kids’ mom-is-going-the-hospital-to-have-a-baby-bag just waiting for baby to arrive. I know my kids will be the hit of the Labor & Delivery ward when they show up to meet their little sibling. You know I’ll have lots of photos to share when the big day comes, so stay tuned to see Funky Monkey Threads tees in action.

Sibling Set Tees

Funky Monkey Threads has a great selection of Sibling Sets, including sets to include newborn little siblings. I love that the sets with infant onuses include a matching hat. I think a “Baby Sis” or “Baby Bro” shirt and hat may be in order after the little one arrives…

Shop! Funky Monkey Threads on Etsy has a huge selection of personalized tees, including the fabulous sibling sets. The retro mod circles design shirts we have are $15.99 each.

Thanks to Funky Monkey Threads for offering the shirts as review samples after I placed my order. : )

Simplisse had two objectives when designing their breast pump:

• Make expressing milk a more comfortable, natural experience for moms.
• Collect breastmilk as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Double Electric Breast Pump

Anyone who’s ever spent any time with a pump attached to their boob can tell you those objectives are very important and essential. To meet these goals the Simplisse Double Electric Breast Pump uses Gentle Compression Technology to reduce tugging and pulling on the breast. When learning about the Simplisse brand we were able to touch and feel the machine and the most noticeable difference was the cups. Simplisse uses BabyFace Flexible Breastcups that conform to your breast and naturally move with mom while expressing. The cups aren’t the standard rigid plastic that dig into your breast.

I breastfed both my children and both times had grand ideas of pumping to create a little stockpile of milk for when breastfeeding wasn’t possible. I used no fewer than 3 different pumps and never had good luck. I just hated the experience and could never seem to pump successfully. With dedication I could collect enough milk for a night out but never enough for my husband to feed baby a bottle once a day, for example. While I’m fairly certain pumping breast milk will never be my favorite activity, I am hopeful that the Simplisse will make the process less painful and more efficient.

Gia Angled Nursing Pillow

Simplisse offers a complete line of breastfeeding products, including a unique angled nursing pillow. Like other nursing pillows, the Gia fits comfortably on mom’s lap. But, unlike other pillow, the Gia is created with an incline to provide a healthy angle for baby to feed. Th angle is intended to help digestion and reduce reflux. The pillow has a traditional C shape, but one end is much wider than the other to provide a larger surface to support baby and prevent rolling.

The Gia can be used with or without a cover thanks to a cotton shell that is anti-bacterial and stain-resistant. Stay tuned to our Gia review after baby arrives for your chance to WIN this Angled Nursing Pillow!

Facebook Giveaway!

Head over to the Simplisse Facebook page and enter to win both the Simplisse Double Electric Breast Pump and a Gia Angled Breastfeeding Pillow. A combined value of $285! Hurry – the giveaway ends Friday.

Shop! The Simplisse Double Electric Breastfeeding Companion is currently available from our affiliate Amazon for $200. The Simplisse Gia Nursing Pillow is also on Amazon for $40. Between now and March 15, you can get a Gia Nursing Pillow FREE when you purchase a Double Electric Breast Pump! See Simplisse for details on this great mail-in rebate offer.

Thanks to Simplisse for providing samples.

Our NYC friends are an amazingly diverse group of talented and intelligent people – writers, teachers, lawyers, bankers, artists, chefs, record label execs. We spent a long while in Philadelphia feeling very isolated and lonely, wondering if we’d taken our friends for granted and made a huge mistake.

Luckily, after some stops and starts, we slowly acquired a small group of very awesome Philly friends.  Most of them live right in our neighborhood and have proven to be a support system as both friends and neighbors.  But most of them don’t have kids, and a few of them have made the conscious decision not to have them.  I completely respect anyone’s decision to have, or not to have, children.  But sometimes having one means I have to be much less flexible and spontaneous than I was before becoming a mom.  Plus, my daily highs and lows usually revolve around Charlie and the truth is, sometimes it’s hard to get as excited about that stuff if you don’t have a frame of reference with your own kid.

I’ve felt lucky to have Partum Me?! and some local listservs as they’ve given me a virtual support system of other moms.  Still something has been missing.  Interestingly, I found what I needed as the drama unfolded with Charlie’s daycare. As we all found common ground in our battle with an ineffective administrator, we also found a good group of moms, dads, and educators who have a pretty good time when we get together. Now, instead of wondering what our other friends are doing on a Friday or Saturday, we have invitations to brunches and family potlucks. And with that comes the feeling, after six long years, that we might have actually done something crazy in Philadelphia – we might have actually made a life here.

If you moved somewhere as an adult, how did you make new friends?  Have you found that your friend group has changed since having kids?

Lipton Green Tea Superfruit is available in three varieties:

• Purple Acai and Blueberry
• White Mangosteen and Peach
• Red Goji and Raspberry

I’m not sure what a Mangosteen is, but it’s tasty in a tea. My favorite, though, is the Purple Acai and Blueberry. Of course, with a nice healthy spoonful of honey and a pour of milk.

When imagining my ideal way to enjoy the Green Tea Superfruit tea, I picture sitting around the kitchen table with girlfriends enjoying great conversation, warm tea and a tasty little snack. The ideal playmate, if I can say so myself – kids playing together and entertaining themselves, moms engaging in uninterrupted conversation. I immediately imagined pairing the tea with baked brie. Can you imagine the fabulousness that is that  play date. Yes, please!

Fruity Baked Brie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large sheet of puff pastry dough or 1 tube of refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1 round or wedge of Brie cheese (do not remove rind)
• Raspberry Jam (or Apricot Jam or some other yummy berry jam)
• A few spoonfuls of brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. On a non-stick cookie sheet or oven-friendly serving dish, lay out the puff pastry or the crescent rolls flat and put brie round or wedge on top.

3. Spread a generous layer of jam on brie. And I mean generous. Fold dough over top. Some recipes recommend cutting the extra dough, but I happen to love it so I leave it on. Spoon brown sugar on top – you can also put brown sugar directly no top of the jam inside the dough, if you prefer.

4. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes, pastry should be golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with good crackers (i.e. not the ones you give your kids) and apple slices.

Now that I have shared what I would pair with these refreshing Lipton Green Tea Superfruits, I want to know, how do you enjoy your tea?

Share your tea time must haves for a chance to win a year’s supply of Lipton Tea, a tea kettle, a tea box, a mug/saucer set, a travel tumbler and a $50 gift card to Amazon.com!

Plus, the first three of you to leave a comment in the conversation below will receive a box of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

After debating whether to buy one gender neutral hat OR a girl and a boy hat, I decided to get one of each. No surprise, really. I mean, I’ll use any excuse I can find to order some sweetness from Etsy.

I discovered Prairie Blossom Boutique and ordred a Crochet Baby Boy Hat with Button and a Baby Girl Hat with Flower. The boy hat is light blue, white and jute with a tan button. I had a little more trouble with the girl hat. I didn’t want it to look exactly like the one my daughter came home in – all pink and white – so I opted for soft violet, white and pink. It is definitely girly – almost too much for my taste, but I’m sure it will look perfect on a newborn baby girl. And, if I have a boy, it will make a darling new baby gift for a friend!

The hats are now safely packed away with the kimono outfit in the hospital bag, just waiting to see which hat will be the lucky winner to grace the head of my sweet baby.

About Mod Mum Maternity Gowns

After giving birth to my son, and loathing all of the photos from the hospital, Lisa wanted to design something beautiful that moms would be proud to wear on such a life changing day. She says:

“I have designed our hospital gowns to make your feel comfortable and also covered! The design includes snaps all the way down the back to ensure you will have full coverage from behind. I have also included snaps at the breastbone to help you breastfeed discretely and comfortably right after giving birth. Our ribbon sash can be tied in the back or the front to accent that beautiful belly. After you leave the hospital, use your gown as a nightgown. It is beautiful and comfortable as well as easy for breastfeeding in the middle of the night!”

Mod Mum Maternity Delivery Gowns

My two previous deliveries I wore the standard hospital-issue gown. It was fine, but certainly nothing special. Mod Mum delivery gowns are something special. Designed specifically for the needs of a maternity gown – Lisa’s husband works in Labor and Delivery! – Mod Mum gowns have all the function of a hospital gown with the style a modern mom wants.

Mod Mum Gown Features

• Snaps all the way down the back to ensure you will have full coverage from behind.
• Snaps at the breastbone to help you breastfeed discretely and comfortably right after giving birth. No need to have half of you showing when visitors pop in!
• Ribbon sash that can be tied in the back or the front to accent that beautiful belly.
• Designed with the hospital in mind. Your doctor and nurse can easily access anything they need, without you having to disrobe.

The gown is clearly functional and it looks great, too. I adore the fabrics and you an pick a coordinating ribbon color to customize the look you want. I’ll be wearing the Olivia gown pictured below with a gray sash. I pretty much squealed when the gown arrived because it’s really, really pretty. Certainly not a term that comes to mind when you think of hospital gowns! The gown feels soft and comfortable and I definitely appreciate the buttons up the back. I can’t wait to put this pretty gown to use in the hospital – stay tuned for personal photos and more info after I get to war this pretty thing for its designated purpose.

Mod Mum Baby Slings

In addition to Maternity Gowns, Mod Mum also offers gorgeous baby slings. How pretty is the Lola Reversible Sling pictured to the left? Mod Mum offers reversible slings, organic slings and slings designed for dads. You can even get a newborn support pillow to make a more appropriate fit for the littlest babes.

Shop! Mod Mum Designer Hospital Delivery Gowns are available in a variety of colorful, modern fabrics. The gowns are priced between $54 and $58. Save 20% on Delivery Gowns with the code YOUSHOP through February 29! Baby Slings range in price from $24 to $64.

Thanks to Mod Mum for providing a sample so I can have pretty photos in th hospital.

Stuffed Pork, Cheddar & Apple Panini Recipe

Recipe via PorkBeInspired.com

Ingredients

• 8 boneless pork loin chops, cut 1/4-inch thick and trimmed (10 to 12 ounces total)
• 4 tablespoons apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 8 slices country wheat bread, 1/2-inch thick (I used some delish bread from the Publix bakery)
• 3 tablespoons margarine, softened (I used butter)
• 1 granny smith apple, cored and sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, reduced-fat (made with 2% milk/fat free), thinly sliced

Cooking Directions

In a small bowl, combine apricot preserves and mustard. Set aside.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, cook pork chops for 2 to 3 minutes or until internal temperature of pork reaches 145 degrees F., turning pork chops over halfway through cooking. Remove from pan and set aside 3 minutes.

Drain pan of juices and scrape bits from bottom of pan with metal spatula. Wipe pan dry with paper towels.

To assemble sandwiches, spread one side of each slice of bread with about 1 teaspoon margarine. Place bread slices, buttered sides down on clean cutting board. Spread unbuttered sides with apricot-mustard mixture. On half of the bread slices, layer pork, apple and cheese. Place remaining bread slices on top, buttered sides up, to form sandwiches.

Meanwhile, preheat skillet over medium heat. Place the 2 sandwiches in skillet without a Panini press. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Repeat cooking remaining 2 sandwiches.

Makes 4 servings

Nutritional Information

Calories: 340 calories
Protein: 26 grams
Fat: 10 grams
Sodium: 680 milligrams
Cholesterol: 55 milligrams
Saturated Fat: 2 grams
Carbohydrates: 36 grams
Fiber: 2 grams

Challenge Results

The recipe is relatively kid-friendly, but my two weren’t interested and preferred their boring plain grilled cheese to our piled high pork, cheddar and apple sandwiches. We enjoyed sweet potato fries and peas on the side. The sandwiches themselves were very easy to make – you could easily make several batches for a football crowd. The apricot and mustard sauce added an awesome flavor to compliment the pork. And, really, you can’t go wrong with any apple and cheese combo as far as I’m concerned. Overall, we think the paninis can make you a champ on Sunday.

Shop & Cook! This weekend, and through February 7, pork spareribs are on sale for $1.99 a pound at Publix.  For a healthier alternative, we prepared a recipe using boneless pork loin chops which are also available at Publix stores nationwide. For more ideas, visit Pork Be Inspired on Facebook and follow @allaboutpork on Twitter.

This is a sponsored post coordinated by TheMotherhood.com on behalf of the National Pork Board and Publix. As always, opinions are my own.

This fall, students across the nation will have new clothes to return to new classrooms with new school supplies. Also new? New nutrition standards for school lunches aimed at getting more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains to the estimated 32 million students who participate in school lunch programs. The new requirements issued by the USDA are largely based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and are aimed at reducing the proliferation of childhood obesity. In an effort to meet this goal, these requirements will be phased in over the next three years and also seek to reduce the amount of sodium, saturated fat and trans fats that have plagued school lunches for decades.

So what are the new requirements? If you want to see the complete set of rules affecting K-12 meals, they are available at the Department of Agriculture, but the primary points are:

• more fruits, vegetables and leafy greens
• less saturated fat, trans fat and sodium
• lunches will have upper and lower calorie limits which vary by age group
• for the first time, food and beverages sold in vending machines will have to meet specific nutritional requirements
• the small amount of tomato past on pizza still counts as a vegetable serving
• there is still no limit on potato servings
• there is no requirement for organic produce and/or ingredients

What does implementation of these requirements look like? Take a look at a sample “before and after” menu:

Click to see larger

Change, At a Cost

Of course, these changes come at a cost. Fresher, healthier meals will cost an estimated $6.8 billion over the next five years. That sounds like a lot, right? However, I’d like to see that compared with medical expenses incurred battling childhood obesity and its related conditions. Creating healthy eating habits and an appreciation for fresh food early is a win-win situation.

Do the New Guidelines Go Far Enough?

These new nutrition standards are a huge leap in meeting the needs our our children. However, due to opposition from many in the food industry and politicians from agribusiness states, the requirements fall short in many areas. Tomato paste still counts as a vegetable serving, even in the small quantity present on a slice of pizza and without consideration for the sodium present in the processed tomato product. Potatoes are considered a vegetable, without regard to their starch content or preparation. Therefore, there is no limit to the number of servings. Think french fries vs. steamed broccoli as a vegetable serving. Got it?

Here’s my soapbox moment (or what some would call my naive stupidity): During the debate and negotiation phase of the new school lunch requirements, many in the food industry and Congress have put their own well-being and profit ahead of the health of this nation’s children. I find that appalling. I find that despicable. I find that morally reprehensible. I’m watching and taking notes to make sure my consumer dollars and votes don’t provide any support to these entities in the future. hope you will, too.

What do you think of the new lunch guidelines?

Images via USDA

Next, to be brief, Charlie has the plague.  He’s had the sniffles that go around daycare infant rooms before, but this is the first time we’ve really been worried.  On Sunday, he quickly became feverish, tired, and unusually clingy.  We were in the doctor’s office the next morning after he threw up every thing that we tried to feed him and his eyes crusted over.  Diagnosis – double ear infections, pink eye, and a nasty virus.  He improves a little bit each day but we’re still warding off fevers with a constant schedule of tylenol and he’s got some antibiotics for the ears and eyes.  Let me just say that force feeding Pedialite to a 9-month old with a syringe is NOT fun.

On to today’s topic…

Somehow we get Parenting magazine.  We didn’t subscribe to it, but we get it.  I rarely read it because, after giving a couple issues a try, I find that it promotes the sort of competitive, finger-wagging parent interaction that I abhor.  So I suppose I was not surprised when the latest issue came and my husband approached me with a shocked look on his face as he showed me the cover:

A whole issue dedicated to geniuses?  Raising the next STEVE JOBS??  (Or at least a really, really bright kid – in case your kid just isn’t quite good enough to be the most successful technology mogul of his generation.)  The article itself isn’t that bad, although it strikes me as a little dismissive of the idea that it’s ok for parents to not give in to the pressure to overschedule their children with extra curricular activities that might give them a leg up on Harvard admissions before they even hit kindergarten.  The author talks about an “it” factor that was unique to Steve Jobs and asks the question, “What can you do to help your child get it?”  The article goes on to outline practical (and not very surprising) things that parents can do to give their kid a leg up.  Although, if a parent doesn’t yet know that reading and talking to your child are important developmental tools, their kid has more to worry about than being the next Steve Jobs.  Of course we should praise results (as opposed to constantly telling our child how generally smart he is), celebrate curiosity, and make use of moments in which we can teach our children.  It’s sort of insulting that a magazine would imagine that a large portion of parents wouldn’t know these things.

What frustrated me most about this article was the pressure of it all.  It seemed to say that it is completely up to us, as parents, to do what is necessary to make our children super successful.  While I certainly feel a sense of responsibility over Charlie’s future, it’s a joint venture with our educational system, our family and friends, Charlie’s own talents and abilities, and society at large.  It makes me sort of angry that a magazine that speaks to so many parents out there is placing all of the responsibility (and thereby all the blame) on parents to make their children into the ultimate superstars from day one.

Am I crazy to just want Charlie to be a kind, generous, outgoing, and happy person?  Does my motivation have to be an extreme desire for my son to be rich and famous?

I was a kid who started off slowly, but took off like a shot in middle school, moving into all honors and AP classes by the time I started high school.  But I had my struggles before that. Thank goodness I had a mom whose goal wasn’t to make me the next Steve Jobs. She focused on making me the best that I could be, the best I wanted to be.  When I had trouble with reading comprehension, she had me read the newspaper to her as she made dinner and then explain what each article was about.  Multiplication tables were made easier with games that we played at home with objects around the house.  When I asked a question, she always tried to get me to figure out the answer myself even if it meant that we picked up and went to the library (pre-internet, of course) to research it.  She didn’t do all of that because she wanted me to be the next famous CEO.  She did it because she was a parent and that was all the motivation she needed.  My mom’s only long-term goals for me were that I grew up to be a good person, an independent woman, and active member of my community.  Whatever level of success I wanted would come naturally if I had those three abilities.  That’s my outlook for Charlie, too.

]]> http://theshoppingmama.com/2012/02/my-baby-is-the-next-good-person/feed/ 4 http://theshoppingmama.com/2012/02/what-i-wore-34-weeks/ http://theshoppingmama.com/2012/02/what-i-wore-34-weeks/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:25:57 +0000 Kate http://theshoppingmama.com/?p=27069 I only have one outfit to share from the last week. Luckily, it’s a fun one! I wore this get up over the weekend when my husband and I joined a bunch of friends to celebrate some birthdays. Good thing I felt fun and festive because I was what I will call the “super designated driver”. Who knew a Suburban full of 30-somethings could be so… entertaining?

Shirt & Jacket: Banana Republic
Denim: Citizens of Humanity
Boots: Via Spiga
Earrings: old, old, old school Express

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This post is happily linked with What I Wore Wednesday on The Pleated Poppy blog and the weekly Monday Mingle hosted by Momtrends, BonBon Rose Girls and Glamamom.