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Monday, March 7, 2011

Tot School: Unstructured!

Our princess is currently 25 months old.
Tot School

I had every intention of skipping Tot School last week, out of pure laziness.  Then the princess woke up Thursday morning at 5:15 with a cough and runny nose.  Nothing but Tot School would console her.  So we did 2 days of it - totally unstructured.  It was great! 

We have a drawer in our living room where I keep all her Tot School activities.  I opened the drawer for her, and she selected the things she wanted to do this week.  The puzzles on the left are from COAH, and she has always loved thm but still gets upset when they don't line up properly.  The one on the right is from Home Grown Hearts.  This was a challenge for her, because the umbrellas and rain drops are not color coded.  She got confused over whether she was supposed to match colors or letters and needed a lot of guidance.
Left:  I have always loved this paintbrush matching, but she has never been a fan until Thursday!  Right:  I let her attempt to use scissors for the first time.  I don't have any safety scissors yet though, so she tried out my scrapbooking scissors.  Ha!  Way too big for a 2 year-old's hands.  :)
Left:  I finally made some pom poms into magnets and let her play with this page from COAH.  Big hit!  Right:  She always loves playing with pom poms, and she was naming colors as she shoved them into the box.
Left:  We finished up her "B" page that flopped the first time around when we tried to glue on bubble wrap.  This time we went for simple butterfly stickers.  Much easier.  Right:  The princess is getting independent.  She has to do this herself nearly everytime we eat. 
She's going to be a good big sister.  :)  We have been talking about babies a lot lately, and she had me wrap up her dollbaby, then she gave her a bear and carried her around the house.  What a sweet little momma.  :)
This week we are learning the letter C!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Baby Bond Nursing Sash: Product Review & Giveaway *Edited 3/11/11*

This is my first product GIVEAWAY, Sponsored by Tomoson.com

As I enter the third trimester of my pregnancy, I find myself more and more interested in the products that are currently available for both Mom and Baby.  I have a 2 year-old daughter, but there are still many new and exciting products available today that either did not exist, or I was not aware of when she was born.  I love to browse baby aisles and think through whether or not these are items I would be interested in testing out with Baby #2.

I used a nursing cover with my first daughter - one that hung around my neck and covered her entire body and my front while she nursed. I loved this cover, because it allowed me to nurse discreetly in public. Then summer rolled around (along with warm weather), my daughter got more nosey about her environment, and the nursing cover just was not working for us. I remember visiting my parents' house, and every 3 hours I had to retreat to a bedroom to nurse the baby for about half an hour. I felt like I missed out on so much. There had to be a better way.

I was very excited when I learned that I was selected to do a review of a new and exciting product:  a Baby Bond Nursing Sash.  I did some research on their website and was impressed with the design of the sashes.  These allow Baby's head to be exposed, while Mom remains covered.  The sashes come in three different styles:  Original, Flex, and Couture.  I watched the videos on the website and then selected the Couture in Hudson, based on its versatility.  I liked the thought that it could be used as a belly band to nurse from under your shirt, as well as a nursing top to nurse from the top. 

A few days later, my package arrived in the mail.  The box included photos of the product as well as visual instructions on the two different ways to use it.
I tried on the sash and was pleased that the one-size-fits-all truly did cover my larger frame.  The 100% cotton design was soft to the touch and would not irritate myself or Baby.  I was excited to test out the product, but I was missing one thing.  A baby.  :)

I sent the sash to my sister-in-law, who was happy to assist me in my review.  Her beautiful baby is currently 2 months old and is a frequent nurser.  She had been using a more traditional nursing cover and was eager to give this a try. 

Baby Bond allowed her son to breathe better as he nursed, which resulted in less spitting-up.  She liked that the sash folded up into itself, saving space in the diaper bag.  It is very easy to launder, and there is no concern about wires bending or poking through the material.  She also liked the versatility of being able to use the product as a sash or as a belly band.

My sister-in-law is very modest, and modesty was her main concern with using this product.  Her son frequently pulls off to look at her or look around while nursing.  When using the product as a sash, she was exposed at this point.  In addition, latching on without exposure was difficult.  When using the product as a belly band, she felt she would have to either have it on all the time or try to find a place to put it on in order to prevent her belly and back from exposure while adjusting it.  She also felt uncoordinated when trying to adjust the band, which she felt would become eaiser with practice.

Her conclusion was that her son's nursing habits make her a little uncomfortable with using the product.  She would likely use it in "semi-public" situations such as around immediate family, but she would not be comfortable using it around the general public.

*Edit* 3/11/11
I received a comment on this post from Missy, the owner of the company that makes these nursing sashes.  She pointed out that my sister-in-law was using her sash improperly and provided links to some YouTube videos that would be of assistance.  The first demonstrated how to put on the product on as a sash.  The second demonstrates how to put it on as a belly band

After viewing these videos, my sister-in-law realized she had been nursing from the right side when wearing the product on her right shoulder.  To use the sash properly, she should have been nursing from the left side when wearing the product on her right shoulder.  Take a look at these photos, demonstrating how to use the product properly.

She commented to me that she actually felt quite a bit more modest when using the product properly.  In fact, her intention now is to use it more often - especially on hot days this summer!  She also pointed out that holding her baby in a cradle-hold felt more modest than the "football hold" she usually does.
Just look at the confidence in this proud momma!  :)
*End Edit*

Perhaps this is a product you would be interested in trying out!  I am looking forward to giving it a try when my baby arrives in May, and I will post another review at that point.  For now, I would encourage you to take a look at a demonstration video on the Baby Bond site and see if this is a product you would be interested in using.

Now for the giveaway!  One lucky person will receive a nursing sash from Baby Bond.  To enter to win:  Visit Baby Bond's website and post a comment here with your favorite product and color.  Please be sure to leave your e-mail address (if I do not know you) so that I can contact you if you are the winner!

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).
2 extra entries if you follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect
3 extra entries if you blog about this giveaway, linking back to Our House of Fun.  Please leave an address where it can be found.
1 extra daily entry each time you visit this blog during the giveaway.

This giveaway will end on March 12th at 11:59pm EST.  The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen.

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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Sunday Scrappin': 4 months and 5 months


I completed 2 scrapbook pages last week.  I went a bit simple on these, and I really like the way they turned out.  In fact, the 5 month page is currently my favorite one in the princess' book.  I just love the colors. 

It was difficult to limit the amount of pictures for these two months.  She was just so photogenic at that stage.  And I take a lot of pictures!!!

I need to keep working on these, doing 2 pages a week.  I need to catch up on the princess' first 2 years before Baby arrives in May!  2 pages a week should be more than enough to reach that goal!


Thursday, March 3, 2011

Thursday at the Funhouse

It has been awhile since I have written a blog post "just because".  Today I am writing...just because.

Our little princess has come down with a cold.  She was coughing a lot at bedtime and during the night last night.  I woke up at 5:15 and realized I had not heard her since about midnight.  I didn't like that, so I opened her door to peek at her.  She woke up as I was leaving, and she was up for the day.  Up...and crabby as could be.  The only thing that soothed her was doing Tot School.  How weird is that?  Not TV, not juice, not cuddling, not playing with toys.  The girl wanted to learn.  I'm so proud.  :)

I love Thursdays.  I know I have said that before, but I really love Thursdays.  It is great to have my husband home for the day, and the princess and I both need our mid-week bonding time with him.  Plus, I get quite a break on Thursday because the princess is such a daddy's girl and wants his full attention.  Mommy's off the hook!

I put the girl in an Ohio State outfit today, and I was showing her how it was spelled O-H-I-O.  She knows the letters O and H, so she was pointing to them as I said them.  Then after I spelled Ohio, I would say "Go Buckeyes".  My husband was wearing an Ohio State sweatshirt at dinner, and he showed her "O-H-I-O", to which she replied "Go Buckeyes".  Again...so proud of her.  :)

Perhaps it is still to early for this, but nesting has definitely begun.  I hung pictures on the wall of our living room (11 months after we moved in...ha ha!), have been organizing the attic for about a month now, washed and put away all baby clothes we have for newborn and 0-3 months, sorted all other baby clothes into Rubbermaid bins, and assembled the bassinet (MUCH easier task the second time around).

I have also been doing some scrapbooking.  I have some pages I want to do tonight before my show comes on, so hopefully I will have some Sunday Scrappin' to post for you this week.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

2011 Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge: Week 9

This is a good week for deals at Walgreens.  Check out the back of your sales papers for some great register reward deals!  Also check out Wild for Wags' Super Deals for some coupon matchups.  My Walgreens was out of several items I wanted to get, so I plan to check again when I am out and about later this week! 

I began with $9.00 of Register Rewards, spent 42 cents out of pocket, and ended up with $8.00 Register Rewards.  Not too shabby!  Here is today's run-down:


Colgate Toothpaste
Price: $2.99
Mfg coupon: None
Store coupon: None

Final price: $2.99
RR earned: $3.00

Good and Fruity Candy
Price: $.37
Mfg coupon: None
Store coupon: None
Final price: $.37
RR earned: None

Nestle Dark Chocolate Bar
Price: $.70
Mfg coupon: None
Store coupon: None
Final price: $.70
RR earned: None

Baby Magic Body Wash
Price: $3.00
Mfg coupon: None
Store coupon: None
Final price: $3.00
RR earned: $3.00

RR Used: $5.00 RepHresh, $2.00 Goody

Subtotal before coupons: $7.06
Subtotal after coupons: $.06
Sales Tax: $.36
Savings Percentage: 99%
(Note: Since I have no control over the tax rate in my area, savings percentages are calculated prior to tax.)

RR in hand: $3.00 Colgate, $3.00 Baby Magic, $2.00 Goody

*******
Yearly Totals
Amount Spent (Including Tax): $35.05
Amount Remaining: $64.95
(Awaiting $14.99 rebate from Accucheck. This will be added into my amount remaining once I receive it.)
Amount Saved: $128.19