Summer Baby Favorites.

As a mom to a 1-year old, there are a lot of things that I'm still trying to figure out over here.

Honestly- it was through reading blogs of mom's that helped me pack for my hospital bag, assisted in getting Jax on a schedule and even suggested beginning foods to eat.

So, to pay the bloggy universe back, here's a list of our summer favorites so far.

1. Melissa and Doug Sprinkler.

This sprinkler pretty much creates a splash pad in your back yard. It's large enough 2-3 kids could enjoy it.

2. Aveeno Sunscreen.

We are loyal users to Aveeno products, so this was only fitting.



3. Ear Drops.

Unfortunately, Jax has had 50-11 ear infections and tubes in his ears. This mama doesn't play around with the ears anymore. When Kids Relief mailed us some preventative meds, I jumped for joy. Anything that could potentially keep us out of the ENT's office and stop us from paying his light bill again.......I'm all for. I'm not saying this has the power to keep ear aches away, but I am saying Jax has been in swimming lessons, he went swimming at a lake and even swimming for fun and he hasn't had an ear ache yet. I really hope I don't regret typing out those words. 

4. Goggles.

Kids love anything new. From my personal experience, let your child play with the goggles first, THEN, put them on their face.

5. Good summer sheets. 

If it wasn't enough that my child doesn't look 100% like his dad, his tendencies are spot on. 

Jax gets hot when he sleeps. He gets is honestly. H is like sleeping with an electric blank......which I don't appreciate until it's winter time. H's body temp is so warm that literally during the winter months, we do not sleep with the heat on. 

Sweet baby buddy needs a dark cool room with the perfect sheets in order for a good sleep to commence. 

Bedgear mailed us these and I've been impressed so far. 

So apparently, it wicks away heat & moisture.......and provides air flow.

If you are familiar with Under Armour......it's essentially Under Armour but in sheet form......which is awesome. 

Because the adult sheet sets are $195, they are on my wish list instead of in my shopping cart. I just can't pull the trigger. However, the baby sheets are super affordable at only $35. While your at it, you may as well buy a mattress protector. They deflect the heat and remain cool to the touch. Did you know that you sleep better when you body temperature cools down by 2 degrees?! 

6. Honest Kids Drink Packs. 

These are perfect to take to the pool or lake! They have less sugar than any other juice in the grocery store. People, we are talking 9 grams of sugar here. To put that in perspective, that's less sugar than a squeezable food pack. This is Jax's "treat" on a hot summer day! 


There you have it! Our summer favorites of 2015! 

Stay at Home Mom: Week 1

Week 1.

Just me, Jax and Oscar (and the feral cats in our neighborhood that both Oscar and Jax hate). 

So- with all of the free time that I have on my hands now ( just a little stay-at-home-mom humor), I decided to take the first bite of this elephant. 

I made a list. In the process of making my list, I decided to make some brownies. Mama needed chocolate. 

To shake it up a bit, and maximize my morning coffee, I decided to pour it in my brownie mix.
This ensures that I won't be sharing brownies with Jax. And, what's a mama to do with the coffee that her child won't let her drink?!?

Ingredients: (1) 13x9 Brownie Mix
(1) K-Cup of Coffee- I tested Community Coffee, Breakast Blend
(1) cap full of vanilla extract (omitted from the pic because it was a last minute addition)
(1/2) cup of pecans for a topping
(2) eggs

I made the mix according to the directions on the back of the box. However, instead of 1/4 cup of water, I used 1/4 cup of coffee. To make the most of my Community Coffee, I brewed it on the smaller cup setting of my Keurig. 

I'm gonna be honest here. Normally, I don't gravitate to a brownie. However, these were amaze! The pecans were a great addition. The coffee was a great touch that wasn't over powering. Even if you are not a big coffee drinker, you would still probably like these. 

If you are wanting to experiment with cooking with coffee, I suggest starting off with a basic brew. There's no need to go all fancy just yet. Community Coffee Breakfast Blend is where it's at. 

Summer in the South.

I love our backyard oasis. 

However, am I the only one who feels the need to wear a bee suit just to swing my child or grill burgers?!?

So- this summer, I have been on the hunt on how to keep mosquitos away from me. And, my child. Before you type the words "just use bug spray"......I don't like wearing bug spray. Sometimes after we all shower and the weather is cool, we like to do a 7:30 or 8pm swing or walk in the hood. I don't want to load up on the bug spray just to then wear it to bed. So, I'm on the hunt for some natural options here. 


Option #1:

These arrived in the mail. 

I was skeptical at first. I made H use one during one of our walks in the neighborhood and I didn't. I wanted to conduct a very scientific experiment. He didn't get bit, but I did. 

The next day, we both used them, and I still got bit. I'm not gonna say don't buy them just yet....but, I need more help understanding how a bandana will keep bugs away from me. 

I'm gonna give them another go. 

Apparently they:
- repel mosquitos, ticks, ants, flies
-they last through 70 washings 
-have been treated with insect shield permethrin repellent

**I gave them another go. Then, H removed my bandana that I had hanging out of the pocket of my shorts and he gave it to Jax. My legs were then bitten 50-11 times by mosquitos. 


Option #2

Dryer sheets. 

I bought the cheap Kroger brand dryer sheets that I rubbed on our legs and arms. I figure they can help us smell better too! Right?!?

Option #3

This $9 bottle of bug spray works great.......as long as you spray EVERY exposed area of skin. I sprayed my legs, but I have a bite on my arm. 

While it says it's Deet-Free, it still has a smell and it left me feeling sticky. Granted, it could have been the 120% humidity we have down in Mississippi too?!? 

Don't make fun of this mama, but I may be sporting some of the bandanas. I may just tie one on each arm and leg while attending a BBQ in a seersucker dress and wedges. Once you reach the summer months, no one really cares what you look like anyway......right?!?


Do you use a product that doesn't make you look like a crazy safari woman? Or do you have a favorite bug spray? If so, do please share! 

Chizi's Tale Book Review

We love books at our house. 

We even have a special place for them in Jax's room. 
He loves to read me, and I enjoy doing the same with him, but with my books turned right side up. 

Jax loves animals. I mean, he LOVES them big! When neighbors walk their dogs, he has to pet them, then he cries when they walk away. So- any book that is about animals of any sort is on our radar and reading list. 

I digress. When the author of Chizi's Tale contacted me about a book review, I said SURE! Send my little buddy a free book to read. I'll be happy to jot down my thoughts. 

Here are my thoughts:

- Y'all. This book is about a rhino. It isn't your typical dog or cat book. It's a rhino book. If you have an older child, this is a great little book to introduce them to other animals. AND, I would even suggest pairing it with a trip to zoo if your child is a visual learner. 

- It's a true story about a orphaned black rhino that was separated from his mother when he was a day old. Can we pause for a moment and let our hearts continue to break?!?! The Park Ranger that discovers him takes him home to his family. Let's pause for another moment. 

Ummm....No! I immediately think of Mammie on Gone with the Wind. I would have to tell H: "But I don't know nuffin' about raisin' no rhino's"!  He becomes the family pet. THE FAMILY PET! 

-This is a super cute book for school age children. This would be a great book to start a discussion about adoption of an incoming family pet. Or, upcoming trip on a Disney Safari! 

-The illustrations are wonderful: 

While it's a little over my child's head, we are going to put it on the top shelf of the book case and re-read it when he is older. However, he LOVES the rhino stuffed animal! 

Overall: 2 thumbs up! This may be bought for some birthday presents from Jaxon! 

You can buy the book here from Amazon. 

To read more about Chizi's Tale, check out the book's website. 

Thoughts for Thursday.....

- Hello. I'm Meg. And I have a PayPal problem. 

This doesn't even show the rest of the month of May.....AND the month of June! 


- Hobby Lobby. They make me want to breathe in a bag. They have Christmas and Fall decorations out already. Can we just wait a minute? Can we gripe about the summer for a while before you bring out the pumpkins?!?

-Meanwhile on this week's addition of 'Dumpster Diving in the Neighborhood', this was snagged. Thank goodness my partner-in-crime neighbor carried it down the street for me! I just love a good ol' neighbor! 

- Have I mention this was waiting at our house on Mother's Day after church?!? 

Nothing says: Thanks for being the best mother ever to our son quite like a washer and dryer! In H's defense, I wanted it. He also saved the day with a gorgeous hand-stamped necklace with our 3 names around the base of a tree! I didn't have time to cry because we hosted Sunday lunch for our sweet Mama's! I made poppy-seed chicken and sides, etc for our meal. While adding the crackers on top, I realized I needed more crackers. So- what's the chef to do?!? Oh, you know, just add her son's Sesame Street crackers to the top. We literally ate Elmo and Big Bird's face. 

Lesson of the day: just because you have a box of crackers doesn't mean that you have a full box of crackers. 

- I love living in a neighborhood. It's where I belong. However, the bad part of living in a hood is when good neighbors move away. I'm finally getting out of the funk I was in when our neighbors moved. They were the best and their sweet girls were even better. Our sweet neighbors gave Jax a little parting gift: 

He LOVES his new swing set. I think Jax will start expecting parting gifts from all neighbors when they move. 

- I have some of the best friends ever. They are so giving and selfless. When I'm in a bind, they will literally go pick my child up from school for me! When I ask them to drop what they are doing and go right then and pick up Jax, they reply with: "I'm walking out the door with goldfish now!" Then, when I pick him up from their house, he is having the best time and doesn't want to leave! Thank goodness for Aunt Missy, her goldfish, dog and sweet girls! It takes a village. Literally. 

- Here's a sneak peak of some of Jax's Birthday Paw-Ty pics! 

Photo Credit: Jennifer Parnell 

Photo Credit: Jennifer Parnell

Photo Credit: Jennifer Parnell

- A few weeks ago, I was asked to write a blog post about: 

Here's the truth, I'm not really impressed. They lost with me the title. After I started flipping through it, I quickly realized this cookbook REALLY isn't for dads. With the exception of my own dad, I don't know any dad that would be making Easy Ricotta Gnocchi with Browned Butter, Herbs and Cheese (pg. 138). Remember the last time I went out of town and H took my veggie and organic eating little buddy to Taco Bell?!?! Oh, I certainly remember. 

Now, don't get me wrong here. The book is stylish and has good slick pages and great photos, but, don't try to market it to dad's. Market it to mom's. And you know what else, they should have named it: ALL OF THE KID FOOD YOU SEE ON PINTEREST. And their by line could have been: Bounded in a book so you don't need your phone! 

I probably would have bought the book then. 

It's easy recipes. Pg. 107 is Apple Pie in a Bag. You literally put sliced apples in a ziplock and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them. Easy peasy. 

Pg. 91 is a recipe on how to make your own hummus. Again, I don't see dad's blending up chickpeas. 

However, this book is full of easy ideas like: Ice Cream Mud Pie. 
Ice Cream. Oreos. Gummy Worms. Mom's the hero. 

So final thought: Not a bad book if you buy it for easy kid meals in mind. DON'T buy it for your man as a Father's Day gift when he is secretly wanting a Yeti Cooler or Big Green Egg. He may be slightly disappointed. 

Baby Bottle Review.

While I was pregnant with Jax.....I knew NOTHING about feeding a baby. However, I knew in my mind we needed to do a bottle from Day 1. Not only was I going back to work in 3 months, but H and I were taking a trip to Memphis when Jax was only 4 weeks old. 

Being a first time mom, I literally thought: go to the store, close your eyes and pick a bottle for your baby to use. They are all about the same. 

Luckily- my neighbor (who is a mom of twins) recommended and gave us some Tommee Tippee bottles. I have always used my neighbor has my 'Consumer Reports'.  I let her do all of the research and I just buy what she buys. 

I naively thought that I needed a TON of bottles. 

Listen to me people. Less is more here. Especially if you have good bottles to begin with. 

I used Tommee Tippee. I used these bottles for the following reasons: 

Jax was fed both breastmilk and formula out of these bottles. Granted, it was more work on my part as his mom, but the last thing I wanted was for my mom to call me while I was in Memphis telling me come home because my sweet babe wouldn't take a bottle. I literally packed a bottle in my hospital bag when delivering Jax. 

One day while in Babies R Us, I found these fine gems:

Best. Things. Ever. Put the formula in the dispenser, then, drop it in the bottle for less clutter in the diaper bag! Hello! Yes! 

Before sweet babe realized that sleeping though the night was the cool thing to do, I would even prep his night time bottle with the dispensers. At 2 am, it's much easier to just pour then to measure. 

I loved these so much that I've already loaned them to my sis-in-law......as well as all of our bottles. 

Some things I learned along the way:

- if you can get by without putting the bottles in the dishwasher.......do it. Our bottles had hard water stains by the time I was ready to pack them up. I'm pretty sure it's not a Tommee Tippee thing because our glass wear has stains too. 

With baby #2....I'll probably hand wash their bottles. 

- When traveling for the day, just take 1 bottle and a bottle of water with you. New Mom Meg didn't think that one through the first few outings. I thought I needed a new sanitary bottle every time. 

- When you are ready to transition your baby from bottle to sippy......start off with some water and throw in a piece of ice so it will make noise. Do ice water for a few days, then maybe put some formula after that. Each child is different, but that worked like a charm for us! 

Sweet sweet proof that we DID in fact use and love Tommee Tippee! 

Ratings:

-Two thumbs up on the bottles and formula dispensers. 

-I'm neutral on a lot of the "unnecessary" accessories like the bottle warmer, etc. I sorta feel: to each their own. I always used room temp water. 

- The sippy cups seem to have a fast flow that Jax wasn't ready for until now at 11 months. 

- Oh- and I loved the fact Tommee Tippee offers up different flow grades of nipples for the bottles. When Jax had stomach issues, the Pediatrician recommended using some cereal in his bottles to help him keep the milk down. So- we upgraded to the (X) bottle top when we would do that. 

For more information on Tommee Tippee, check them out here: http://www.tommeetippee.us

Nut Job.

It's no secret. My household is a nut job. So.....when Setton Farms asked me for a blog review for their Pistachio bites, I said SURE THING! It's only fitting.

I have some confessions to make here:

-I didn't know what to expect when the package arrived. I didn't even google the company before it arrived. 

- I never even tried them. Yep. You read that right. I don't even know if they are good or not. 

H hijacked the package on counter top and took them to work. 

He sent this to me: 

Money=good. Just in case you were wondering. 

Ok. So here's the thing. Even though I never got to actually eat the pistachio bites, I'm pretty impressed.

7 ingredients. Non-GMO. And, you can cook with them. 

So unfortunately for us, our grocery store doesn't sell them and Amazon appears to be out. 

If you like cranberries and pistachios, these are for you. If you don't like 1 or the other.......probably not. Be aware, the bars are small. You will probably eat 2 or 3 at a time. 

Overall: 2 thumbs up. 

Once they are back up on Amazon.....this wife (and Prime Member) will be buying them for her hubby!