Pea Pods and Bumbos

It seems everytime I turn around, the baby equipment gurus are improving their products. When Riley was a baby, we had what I thought was the best stroller, baby swing, pack 'n play (the three even matched) and exersaucer new parents could ever want for their baby. Then when Walker came along, all the same products seemed to be a little more colorful, more appealing to baby, and easier to fold or carry. I found myself saying, "Hey, they didn't have that when my babies were little!" Now that we have Owen, the baby equipment gurus have definitely stepped it up and invented some wonderful products. I don't know how we lived without these:

1. Bumbo Seat

Many of you probably have this, but because it has been 4 years since our last baby, this one is all new to me. I love this product. Owen can sit in it and play or watch Baby Einstein. Amazingly, it provides just enough support for his upper body and he loves it. I like the way he fits snuggly in it and I don't have to worry about him sliding out of it. It is so light-weight that I can take it anywhere. I have even seen people with them in restaurants.



2. Pea Pod

I chunked the 'ole Pack 'n Play that none of my babies liked sleeping in (actually, I sold it in a consignment sale). Even though it had a net to elevate the mattress to seem more like a bassinet, Walker and Riley both hated it and didn't seem to sleep well when we traveled. I never really used it as a playpen, either. We were recently introduced to the Pea Pod by Kidco. It is basically an air mattress with a netting around it so baby doesn't scoot off. The best part, is that it folds up like a car shade and fits into its own bag. When we went to Chicago, we were able to fit it into a suitcase. Owen slept really well on it and I really like that it is so light-weight that you can move it around with one hand. It can be purchased at target.com for around $50.

So...those are my new favorite things right now! If you are a new mom or soon-to-be mom, these are must-haves for your sanity! :)

The Name Brand vs. Generic War

I was sitting by the pool, yesterday with my friend, Nancy. I had Walker with me, and she had her little boy, Christian with her. Our daughters (who are best friends) were at Spanish Camp together. Anyway, we were eating lunch, and the thought occurred to me--Stauffer's Whales baked snack crackers are sooooo much better than Goldfish. Now, I know that Stauffer's is a brand name, but for the sake of this blog, let's just say they are generic. I mean they did come after Goldfish, right? I had bought a large container of Goldfish for a party at Riley's preschool a few weeks ago, so I didn't bother buying the Whales. We continued to eat the leftover Goldfish. Just the other day, we went back to eating Whales and I am so glad we did. They taste so much better (cheesier, saltier, and crunchier) and they are sooooo much cheaper. Around our house, we try to stick to a budget, so I do my grocery shopping at WalMart and buy a lot of Great Value and Sam's Choice items. By the way, do you remember when generic items were packaged with black/white labels? Growing up, I hated that aisle of the grocery store. Anyway, I have noticed that some generic items are just not as good, however, for baking/cooking purposes, I usually buy GV. For instance Wheat Thins are much crunchier and better than GV wheat crackers and Ritz crackers are much better than GV snack crackers ("circle crackers" according to Riley).

Tim insists that certain items be name brand:
ketchup - Hunt's
potato chips - Ruffles
sports drink - Gatorade
hot dogs - Juicy Jumbos/Ball Park Franks
shave gel - Edge
soap - Irish Spring
ice cream - Breyer's, vanilla bean

I insist that other items be name brand:
laundry detergent - Cheer
dishwashing detergent - Sunlight
toilet tissue - Angel Soft
granola bars - Nature Valley

Now on the flip side of this, there are certain generic items that I like better than name brands:
Whales
vanilla wafers (we like the ones from Dollar Tree of all places; they stay fresh longer, and they are good)
fudge cookies by GV (they look like Oreos, but have fudge filling...mmmm!)
baby wipes (for some reason lately, I have had trouble with Huggies and Pampers wipes not wanting to separate; Parent's Choice has been great)

I guess it is all in your preference, how you grew up, what your mom bought, etc. Tim, would say, "It's the same thing, they just make the package a little more aesthetically pleasing." -- Hey! Wait a minute. Not with Whales and Goldfish!

I want my straws!

Last weekend, we took a trip to Burlington, N.C. to partake in the wedding festivities of Tim's cousin (Congrats, Katie and Michael!). Because it was an 8 1/2 -9 hour trip, we decided to leave Thursday morning and spend the night in Atlanta. This would break up the trip , a little bit, anyway. Since we were going to be in Atlanta, we decided to visit the new Georgia Aquarium.

We are so glad we did! If you haven't been, you definitely need to go. Tim and I have been to the Chattanooga Aquarium (newly weds,before kids), so I guess I was expecting more of the same. Boy, was I wrong. It was totally amazing! They have about five different exhibits/areas -- Rivers, Oceans, the Arctic, the Tropics, and Georgia (all about fish found in the state). Riley and Walker absolutely loved it. Several friends warned us about the crowds. We were pleasantly surprised...we went on a Thursday, in the afternoon. There were still a lot of people there, but it was manageable. Riley said her favorite thing was seeing the beluga whales. Walker says his favorite was "the fishies". Well, I guess that about sums it up and pretty much encompasses everything we saw, with a few exceptions.


One problem I did have, involved the man that checked Walker's backpack at the door. He opened it and made me leave my bag of straws. I know you are wondering why in the world I care about straws, but these are not just any straws. These are "bendy straws"...the kind that bend at the top. My mother-in-law keeps them in her purse, and I started carrying some with me a few months ago after cleaning up many a spill. It is rare to find a fast food or sit-down restaurant that has these. It never fails that either Riley (who is 4) or Walker (who is 2) will pick up their cup and turn it upside down, as if they are drinking out of a sippy cup. The plastic lid that either wasn't put on very well, or is very cheap, can't take the weight of all that Sprite, so it comes gushing out all over my child. Needless to say, I started carrying these straws so all the kids have to do is bend it at the top...they don't even have to pick up the cup. All that to explain why they are so important to me...and the man made me leave them. First of all, what could a person do with a plastic straw? I guess someone has figured out how to use it as a weapon or put it with other household objects to make a bomb. It is beyond me! I thought about going back to the front door on our way out, to pick up my straws, but decided I would suffer through the rest of the trip without them. As we were eating dinner that evening, we had two near accidents involving the kids and their drinks...if only I had my straws.

The rest of the trip was wonderful. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. We had a great time seeing some of Tim's family we don't see very often, and the 8 1/2 hour trip didn't seem so bad -- thank goodness for the DVD player in our car...what did our parents do without them?