Mommies With Style

There was never a reason, but since my oldest son was born I’ve been lusting after a Valco. Finally, this summer, Valco Baby sent me a sample of the Latitude for review. It was worth the wait. This stroller is a dream come true.

First its super-light-weight. The 19 pound stroller is delightful to push with a smooth roll and a dynamic turning radius along a very narrow base that pushing my 12 pound 6 month old (yes, she’s tiny) is seriously like pushing air.

Even though its a tiny stroller, the actual seat is large enough for a preschooler (tested by the Kindergartener) but comfortable enough for the baby with a full recline. I have her covered in an attached blanket and she sleeps soundly and comfortably.

The 2 handed fold is smooth and simple. And what is fantastic is how small it is when folded. I’m no longer giving up nearly my entire SUV trunk-space to my stroller, now there’s plenty of room for all of my shopping bags, a pack and play, luggage for a trip and whatever else we have packed in at the time. A huge bonus is that, when folded, it still stands vertically, which means a very little footprint when not in use. (Ideal for tight storage spaces, aka my garage).

Of course I need to mention the basket which fits my diaper bag with room to spare–more than I need for walking to the bus stop and enough for a quick trip through the mall.

I’ve also used the stroller for my Stroller Fit class. This is going to sound funny, but its almost too light. Its a great jogger, so easy to move and zoom around the park. While my classmates pushed their heavy joggers, the Latitude moved so quickly that it sped me ahead of the group.

Infant seat attachments are available, though I didn’t use the one that goes with the Britax. The stroller is outfitted and snug enough that, once my baby could hold her head well, I felt fine putting her in the stroller directly.

Honestly, I can’t imagine needing another stroller (I know, easy to say right now, right?) But the Latitude meets all of my needs: neighborhood walks, Stroller Fit class, shopping the mall and shopping centers, even amusement parks. Valco’s Latitude EX stroller is really all I can see myself needing.

So that dream of a stroller? It really can come true.

Find Valco Baby’s Latitude EX at Lets Go Strolling, where you can use MWSVALCO for 10% off all Valco Strollers through March 31st, 2010.

Thanks to Valco Baby for providing a sample stroller for this review.

A few weeks ago I posted about an organization I work with called the Hands & Feet Project, a Haitian orphanage that was cut off from supply routes during the earthquake. Due to the amazing efforts of a few dedicated people, within a few days of the earthquake, what started off as one private plane from Santa Barbara, CA willing to fly supplies directly into the town of Jacmel turned into 10 planes which now has reached nearly 100 planes which have flown in much-needed food, supplies and medical necessities to the Jacmel orphans and people in surrounding villages.

In addition, I wanted to give a HUGE THANKS to a handful of industry companies have stepped up and joined with Hands & Feet Project to donate their time, goods and services.

Green to Grow donated more than $30,000 worth of BPA-free bottles and nipples to the orphanage which included the laborious task of de-packaging over 12,000 products in order to more efficiently send them to Haiti. phil&teds jumped in and donated a handful of travellers, their lightweight, travel cots for the many families in Jacmel who lost their homes as well as a Dash stroller and bassinet for a silent auction we held. aden + anais generously donated dozens of their cotton muslin swaddle blankets and Eureka sent over a collection of tents.

Thanks again to all the individuals and companies who have donated their time and money to the relief efforts in Haiti.

You can learn more about the Hands & Feet Project, get involved or sponsor one of the growing number of orphans at www.handsandfeetproject.org.

jill-e makes designer camera bags for women.  At first I was thinking, what would I use a camera bag for?  I have so much to tote around on a daily basis (and I’ve been out of the diaper bag stage for over a year).  But when delved into my bag, I realized that much of what I carry is electronic. 

Currently in my purse:  wallet, iPhone, iPod touch, Flip (camcorder), digital camera, bag of Animal crackers, a pair of sunglasses and a couple of sticks of lipstick.  Such is the life of a Mommy blogger.

So I became kind of excited to check out a jill-e small red leather camera bag when they sent me one to test out.  We’re headed off to Disney shortly and I’ll certainly be carrying a lot of electronics - it fits all of my daily items, plus some.  I’m able to use it as a camera bag and purse as I didn’t want to be carrying two bags.  I would imagine that those of you who use the big SLR cameras would be thrilled with this kind of bag. 

jill-e is also running a special for the entire month of February.  Any of the red and pink bags that carry the above 14% off tag are on sale for the month.  A portion of the proceeds from the sale will also be donated to the American Heart Association.

I really should have taken a picture of our tupperware  cabinet for the sake of this review.  But I decided not to because I try to only open that cabinet once a day since you never know what random piece of tupperware is going to come flying out and whack me in the face. We have different containers, different tops, and it’s chore every night to mix and match the right pieces together.

I have two kids I have to pack for.  One is in Kindergarten and he isn’t allowed to buy lunch.  Not only do I have to pack him 5 lunches each week, but I actually have to also pack him a snack in a separate container every day.  That’s 10 packings.

Then my 3-year-old goes to preschool 2x a week.  That’s two lunches, plus a third lunch on Fridays when I have lunch duty at my older son’s school and I bring him a long.

Got that all?  (There will be a quiz later so you guys better be paying attention.)

The total is 13 times I’m packing some sort of lunch or snack each week.  And that’s with just two kids, one of whom is part-time.  I can only imagine what those of you with more kids and older kids are dealing with each day.

Enter EasyLunchboxes.com.  You guys know the story - one Mom was sick of dealing with the same frustrations I outlined above, so she invented her own system.  Everything fits in this neat little system she’s come up with.

I highly recommend watching the video so you can get the visual.  It’s just an awesome little system so you aren’t scrounging to mix and match containers each day, plus it’s only one item to wash and it’s eco-friendly since it eliminates the need for plastic baggies.

Use coupon code Mama10 to receive 10% off your order on the EasyLunchboxes.com website.

Lastly, even if you aren’t going to buy, check out the EasyLunchboxes.com SmugMug photo folder with lunchbox ideas.  There are some creative and neat lunch ideas - so worth looking at if you’re in a rut for coming up with ideas to put in your kids lunchbox!

Have a used car seat/stroller/bassinet, etc. lying around? I have a few old car seats that are from my daughter and I don’t think they are safe to use for my 2-year old son. So when I heard about the “Great Trade-In” event, I was thrilled!

Through Saturday, February 20th, Babies “R” Us and Toys “R” Us stores are holding the “Great Trade-In” event providing their customers with the opportunity to trade-in any used car seats, strollers, cribs, bassinets, travel systems, play yards, toddler beds or high chairs in exchange for a 25% off savings on the purchase of a new baby item, in any of the product categories from select manufacturers. Participating brands are: Britax, Babi Italia, Baby Cache, Baby Trend, Bergamo, Bertini, Carter’s, Chicco, Contours by Kolcraft, Cosco, Delta, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, Graco, Jeep, Little Tikes, Safety 1st, Sorelle and Step2.

The “Great Trade-In” event places an emphasis on specific baby products, that due to safety concerns, may not be the best candidates to be handed down or resold. Beyond recalls, certain older and used baby items can be potentially unsafe for a variety of reasons, including damage or lack of compliance with recent advances in product safety standards.

You don’t need to have purchased the item you want to “trade-in” from TRU or BRU. You can bring in multiple items and you will be given one 25% off discount for each item traded in. The discount must be used that day on another item from the participating categories and manufacturers. Trade-In items and purchased items can be from different categories.

Having a baby and kids means a lot of scheduling and record keeping. Losing sight of those schedules can be cause for a rausous of a child, and, often, a stressed and frustrated spouse. Over a baby’s uncalmable screams, there’s nothing more frustraing than screaming “when was she last fed?” and receive the response: “I don’t know… maybe about an hour ago? or three?”

So its really helpful to find a recording system that will work for you, your spouse and your babysitter. One system that’s working well is Lullaboards, a dry erase board that can be posted on your refrigerator. It offers space for tracking feedings, diapers, naps and milestones. We’ve found that listing these accomplishments each day, and keeping it on the refrigerator in the same spot all the time, helps to keep everyone sane, and in the know at the loudest and most stressful times. Its also been so helpful to have when calling the pediatrician with questions and preparing for a babysitter.

Lullaboards are available for tracking newborns, babies, pumping and toddlers withcolorful border options. (I’d love to see a “sickie” Lullaboard for tracking fevers and medications in the future.) They can be personalized, which I imagine is perfect for daycares and twins.

Edited to add:  Julie received a sample of Lullaboards to assist in this review.

9 friends and bloggers came to my house Thursday night, where we had a fun evening of drinks, hair and make-up.

In my living room, we had Lauren, a local stylist, testing out Suave products in one room while we played with make up from E.L.F. in my dining room.  Officially, I was having a Suave Style Party as well as an E.L.F Make Up At Home party - these parties were basically an opportunity for my friends and fellow bloggers to try products from each line.

A fun time was had by all.  Local bloggers Colleen from Classy Mommy, Shannon & Sarah from ChescoMoms and Kelly from the Centsible Life came along with several non-blogger friends.

Lauren works on me with products from the Suave Professional line

with Kelly from A Centsible Life

my friend Jodi gets her hair styled

Chatting in front of the ELF makeup

The following review was written by guest writer and MWS member, Cheryl:

This is one of those ideas you can’t believe no one’s thought of before.  Be thankful Zipz finally did.
Zipz are shoes that have covers which completely unzip, so you can interchange covers and soles whenever the mood – or dirt - strikes. Ingenious.

It all started six years ago at a family gathering. The kids kept changing their shoes while playing dress-up, while others got theirs so muddy they had to put on different ones. Jerry Stefani mentioned to some of the other parents watching the fashion show that someone should come up with an interchangeable shoe.

Six years later, after much trial-and-error, Jerry and his brother, John, have created Zipz.

These are really fun shoes. They are similar in style to Vans or Converse. But they have a very comfy memory foam insole, and the canvas covers are thick yet soft.

And, frankly, they’re more fun. You can choose between three “souls”:  black, white, or 50/50. Then you choose your colors. Little kids covers come with Velcro up to size 11.

My six year-old son wears a youth size and got to pick between a high top, low top and zip-on style.

He was very excited to receive a skull-and-crossbones (skullz) patterned cover and another cover with flamez along with a pair of white souls. He can zip them himself and the zippers are durable enough to withstand all the yanking. My four year-old needed help to zip but it’s a fast and easy process for an adult or bigger kid (yes, they do come in adult sizes!).

You can order just a cover and a soul, and purchase different covers later. Or you can order a set, which comes with the cover of your choice and then a licorice black cover - it’s almost like getting two pair of shoes in one.

Zipz are definitely a smart answer for our fickle, fashion-conscious kids. Enter MWS10 at checkout to receive 10 percent off your order.

Zipz provided samples for Mommies With Style.

So the local delivery guys brought all of my Frigidaire appliances last week [In case you missed it, check out last week's post about me being a Frigidaire Mom!].  I was like a kid on Christmas morning as they installed everything and hauled away my old appliances.

Here are some side by side comparisons of my old and new appliances - check out how shiny and new all of my Frigidaire appliances are!

This is my old fridge - we moved it to the basement for extra storage:

Here’s the one one during install, so shiny and new!:

The old dishwasher was barely running when they took it away - I wasn’t sorry to see it go!

Shiny, new and runs so quietly, we don’t even know it’s on:

My old stove was also having some issues.  Hopefully it’s happy in its new junkyard home:

I want to pull up a sleeping bag and sleep next to my new stove, it’s so beautiful:

It’s really amazing how having new stainless steel appliances just change the entire feel and face of my kitchen.  Friends have been commenting that it’s like a new room entirely without my old white appliances.  It’s true.  I can’t say how thrilled I am with my new appliances thus far.  Going forward, I’ll review each one independently completely with some videos of the new appliances in action!

And in case you missed it, some info on Frigidaire:  Frigidaire introduced more than 250 new appliances in 2009, all designed with the idea of creating more time for Moms. Standing behind its claim, Frigidaire offers a “More Me-Time Guarantee.” Moms will save a minimum of eight hours a month or their money back.

In addition, Frigidaire announced a new partnership in September with admired actress and philanthropist, Jennifer Garner.  The pair teamed up to launch the new Frigidaire line and to kick off the “Make Time for Change” campaign to support Save the Children.

Starting, January 18th, you can log  onto the Make Time for Change to play Spin & Win for a chance to win prizes including a new time-saving Frigidaire Affinity washer/dryer. Plus every day you take a spin, Frigidaire donates $1 to Save the Children as part of their $250,000 commitment to this worthy cause.

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I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and will be receiving a Frigidaire Refrigerator, Range/Microwave, Washer/Dryer set, and a Dishwasher to facilitate my review.

When I was a little girl, my mother had a business making customized rag dolls. I was the lucky one, getting all the test dolls and samples. My mother is a talented artist and put so much into her creations. These dolls were amazing, well loved,  and I still have several of them. This explains why I am such a rag doll snob.

Over the years I haven’t ever really seen a commercial rag doll that I would want for my kids. My mom’s creations are a really tough act to follow. But earlier this fall I glimpsed Adorable Kinders rag dolls and was immediately thrust into a nostalgic state.  Read to the end of this review for a great coupon and instructions how to win one of these amazing dolls!

The Adorable Kinders collection of 26 dolls is based on the alphabet. There are dolls from A-Z, boys and girls, with a variety of hair and skin tones. I requested that the company send a red headed boy - “Xander” for my review. It reminded me of my 20m son who would be the target recipient and tester. Little did I know my 5 yo son would be so jealous! Not so surprising when you learn that the collection is based on an active group of kindergarteners (5yos) and their world.

Right out of the box the doll struck a chord. The weight and quality of the doll, the attention to detail in construction and material (even the clothes and socks and shoes are lovely) really stand out. My son was smitten. He and his new doppleganger buddy jumped off the couch together a few times and then his pal was lovingly put to sleep with a tissue paper blanket and firm kiss goodnight. My daughters each oohed and ahhhed over the doll and commented that it was “no fair” that they didn’t have dolls like these when they were little. I had to agree.

Some other great features about these dolls: They are washable! They have no hard pieces which makes them very comfortable and safe to sleep with. Each doll comes with a unique ID code that lets you log on online and play educational games that are appropriate for preschoolers and K-6th graders. Clothing for the dolls can be ordered separately.