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A friend of mine introduced me to Burt's Bees when I had my first baby. Their line of products for children are great. As a company, Burt's Bees is passionate about their products being as natural as possible. They are also committed to being as "green" as possible by using recycled plastics, and easy to recycle aluminum.
I love the Buttermilk Lotion and the Apricot Baby Oil. They both smell amazing. My 14 month old gets excited when she sees the lotion bottle and points and says something that resembles "lotion". The oil and lotion are also great for baby massage.
I found this bed at Pottery Barn Kids. It is great. Playhouse and bed.
These button ornaments from Martha are adorable. I am about to go to the store and get what I need to make them. They are a great project to do with the kids and perfect to put on gifts. Also, it is a great way to use your old buttons.
Sling wearing was very intimidating to me at first. Once I got used to the feeling of wearing my baby I will never go back, full time, to the traditional front pack. Some of the cutest slings I have seen are from 360 Bebe. 360 Bebe is based in Austin, owned by moms, hand made and provide in home fittings. They will also personally show you how to use them. Slings are also easier to use and more stylish to me then the traditional carriers. They have so many different kinds of fabrics and colors. They even offer a Solarveil sling you can wear in the pool which offers sun protection for your baby.
If you are not in the Austin area, they can still help you to measure and get fitted for a sling. Their website offers very detailed pictures and directions on how to wear your sling. They are sewn by hand, and the fabrics are very sleek. You can't help but want more then one. They also offer gift cards which make lovely shower gifts.
From their website: "360 Bebe is a mama owned, family centered business. My goal is to encourage moms to wear their babies and to look fabulous doing it."
I really loved making home-made baby food for my little girl. Before I started I thought it would be too much trouble and difficult. I quickly found it was fun, easy, and it was nice to know exactly what was in her food. Baby Cubes were really helpful when I took the food to go. I froze the food in the cubes and when I went out, put one in the diaper bag. By the time I needed the food they were defrosted. You can buy them here.
First Meals is written by a Cordon Bleu chef and mom, Annabel Karmel. It includes first foods as well as healthy options for older kids.
...or a cow, or a fish pond, or some blankets, or some food, or help someone to read and write.
Samaritan's Purse is an amazing ministry. They offer food, medicine, financial help with heart operations, community development, shoebox Christmas gifts to children, emergency relief and various other programs to hundreds of countries.
One of their ministries is a Christmas gift catalog. They have a number of things you can purchase for other families in need. I love to look through the magazine every year with my oldest child and find something our family can give. This year she is even old enough to do some household chores to earn money and contribute to something for another family. There are many things you can give towards, but we are going to give the gift of a goat this year. It not only provides a family with fresh milk for themselves, but also added income as they can sell the cheese and milk to others. It is a tangible way my family can help another family. Sometimes in the holiday rush I can forget what the season is about...this is a way we can remember.
Christmas Catalog
These are the cutest things ever. They are a great project to do with the kids. You can make them with baby food jars or any glass jars. You use glitter for the snow. Adorable.
http://www.marthastewart.com, click on the picture to take you there.
I own many snack storage containers for my kids. Until recently I have not been happy with any of my choices. Most of my containers stored just one item and were not secure and often spilled out its contents in my purse or bags. I am sure you can relate to my having crushed up cheerios in my purse all the time. I recently purchased the Packin' Smart. It is great. You can store formula, snacks, hair accessories, pills, spices and even your hobby items. The great thing about the Packin' Smart is that you can use one container or a number of containers depending on your needs. It also comes in seven really cute colors. www.packinsmart.com
Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about TV and the shows I love on TV. I am, well, passionate. I do watch a bunch of shows and this is only possible with kids because I have a DVR (Digital Video Recorder). We have had a DVR for over five years. I like to be able to watch my shows at night after the kiddos go to bed. I also like the ability to be able to pause live TV and skip commercials. This becomes especially helpful as many of the commercials on TV these days are just not appropriate for my children. I don't really want my kids watching previews for scary movies, women running around in their panties and bras (I don't want my husband seeing that either) or just trash, so the DVR has become especially helpful.
Until recently we have always preferred TiVo...in fact I would have considered myself a TiVo snob. It brings me such joy that TiVo has become a household word, and even a verb (I Tivo-ed it). I am embarrassed, and very hesitant to even tell you, about 5 months ago we switched to Direct TV's HD-DVR. There the secret is out. My husband has a love for all things high def, he'd even watch paint dry in HD. I have to say I love it and it has a number of features that are even, may I say it, better then TiVo.
Overall the DVR is something I am not sure I can live without, I don't have a lot of time, especially to watch commericals I don't care about. It helps me manage my time and my TV better and makes sure I run the TV and the TV doesn't run me. If you find yourself trying to keep up with shows, and want to use your time more efficiently then a DVR might help your life.
