Babies

In a 'real foods' kitchen where meals are made from scratch, there are many essential tools I use pretty much every day that make food prep faster, easier, and a lot more efficient. I sometimes take it for granted, but every time I visit someone and use their knives, can openers, or dish washing sponge - I realize what gems I've found to use in our kitchen! These items are either really good or simply amazing and I never regret having spent money on them. In my photo (top to bottom) you can see some of the items that are on the list, followed by other favorites not pictured.Breville Ikon Stainless Electric Tea Kettle: We love drinking tea and actually haven't had a coffee maker in our house in over 5 years. We've had this one for over four years, best decision ever after burning one stove top tea kettle. I love that it doesn't have an exposed heating element for mineral deposits to get stuck on. With a flat, stainless interior base it is really easy to clean. At just under $80 I feel that the quality is there, it's lasted us a while and shows no signs of giving up. Breville also makes the much more expensive One-Touch Tea Maker that I think is awesome and our friends love, but it is over $240 [gasp!]. It heats to precise temperatures for different types of tea - for gourmet tea drinkers!Flour Sack Towels: These cotton flour sack towels have so many uses around the home, but in the kitchen they are simply magical for straining and I've used them for my farmer's cheese recipe. They are also great for drying dishes, which I usually don't bother with unless I'm putting away the nice 'guest dishes' and don't want water spots on them. They aren't very cheap for under $15 for four towels, but reasonable. For some reason they remind me of my Culinary Arts class and France!Goodbye Detergent Spaghetti Scrub: We don't use a dishwasher and I always thought there is no other way to wash dishes other than with a sponge or cloth. Then I got one of these spaghetti scrubs and I'm telling you, there is no going back! I never liked sponges to begin with. Even when wrung out and left to dry, they would get smelly fast -yuckiness. Not to mention we were spending too much money constantly replacing them. I've used one spaghetti scrub for a year before switching to a new one - and it still looked almost like new! It scrubs very gently, so it never scratched my non-stick ceramic and our dish-washing soap use went way down since it really only needs detergent for extra greasy pans and dishes.IKEA Tea Infuser: We really enjoy loose leaf tea, but I don't enjoy brewing a whole tea pot just for the two of us. That's where these handy tea infusers come in. Just big enough to brew a cup of tea. It's just a perfect little gadget and has never failed, plus the price can't be beat at $1.99.Kuhn Rikon Can Opener: I've discovered this dream can opener when I still lived with my parents, I think my mom bought it at Marshalls. When I got married and saw all the cheap, pseudo can openers that didn't work, I went on a quest to find one of these for our kitchen! I was excited when I finally found one - best can opener ever! It leaves smooth, child-safe edges on the can. That alone is priceless. Totally worth the $14.Cutco Knives: These are an absolute must have in our kitchen. I've tried many knives. Expensive ones. Nothing compares to Cutco and nothing can compare to their lifetime guarantee and free sharpening for life. I know people who have been using them for 30, 40+ years and they still are good as new. You get what you pay for! It's just such a pleasure working with them, I realize that every time I use some other brand at someone else's house and I wonder how in the world anything can get done in a kitchen with dull knives.Bamboo Cutting Boards: Plastic cutting boards harbor bacteria, bamboo and wood ones do not. I love my bamboo cutting board and use it every day. It's held up well to rigorous use. There are a ton available on the market, so I would just go

After all the work we did renovating our home, I wanted beautiful window trimmings to adsfadfs. My main criteria for whatever graced our windows was that it be 1. attractive and 2. safe. I also favored anything easy to clean and that would do a good job of screening out the light, since the first [...]You just finished reading Blinds! Consider leaving a comment!This post is written by Penelope Guzman from Penelope's Oasis. If you are not currently reading this via e-mail or an RSS feed directly from Penelope's Oasis, then this post has been stolen or scraped. Stolen content can be reported here .

We all know that little girls are princesses but what about little boys? Well of course boys are little princes. Deliene Alvarenga from Belo Papel shared this darling party with me that she threw for her little boy. She had cute little porcelain figures made of Prince Pedro and other little animals to decorate the snack table. I love the balloons covering the ceiling in the little prince birthday party. The theme of the party was carried out on all of the boxes and trinkets in the party. As you can see here on the little dessert boxes. Some candy bars covered with the same matching paper labels. The colors used in this party are so fun and bright. Perfect for a little boy’s party. The lollipops with the cute paper labels match the colors. How delicious do these cupcakes look? The paper wrappers around them add such cute touch with the scalloped edges. The different frosting decor on the top makes it fun for kids to choose which one they would like. Here are some darling little star shaped boxes filled with chocolate and other candies. Kids love little things like this. The different prints on the boxes incorporate all the fun themes seen throughout the party. The party favors for the little guests to take home were these little boxes filled with candy and treats. These boxes are so fun for little people to store things in later on as well. The moms got to take home a cute little rose in an acrylic container. How fun for the moms and kids to both be able to take some fun things home. For party ideas and more on this fun party please check out Belo Papel. Vendor Credits Porcelain Figures: Patricia Lourenco, Biscuit da Pati Cupcakes: Fernanda Calbo, Divino Cupacake The post The Little Prince Birthday Party appeared first on Design Dazzle.

Thank GOODNESS Spring has finally arrived in the Midwest! We jumped from 40 degree rainy weather to 75 degree sunshine and the past week has been amazing. My kids LOVE being outside, it makes the days fly by, and we get lots of exercise. And you mamas know what that  means… NAPS! We recently received the Jeep Overland jogging stroller and Rebecca has been helping me try it out: Jeep Overland jogging stroller The first thing I noticed, of course, was the color. I love the bright and fun orange and the contrasting gray and black touches. Super cute! There are so many great perks and features to this stroller. We’ve been using it around our house, in residential areas, but also at the park (on gravel and grass) and the stroller holds up well and is easy to maneuver. The canopy is a pretty good size and also has a zipper along the back that extends the canopy, if needed. There’s a window on top that velcros open and closed so you can look down and see your little one. Rebecca likes to look up and poke at me Okay, the photo above shows my FAVORITE features of the Jeep Overland jogging stroller. On the left you can see the iBaby. It’s a speaker compartment that connects to your iPod or MP3 player so you (and your little one!) can listen to music while you run. There’s nothing better than that! You can also see a hand brake that’s a nice safety feature and something I hadn’t seen before on other strollers. The photo on the right hows the “Smart Handle.” It adjusts up and down to a height that’s perfect for you. Especially when you’re running, it’s important to be comfortable and have the handle of a jogging stroller in an ergonomic position. The adjustment on this Jeep Overland jogging stroller lets you do that! You just push in those big yellow buttons on both sides and move the handle up or down. You can also see the safety strap for use when jogging. For a jogging stroller, this thing has a huge basket! I love it! That makes this much more useful because even though it’s a “jogging” stroller, you may use it for long walks, hikes, etc. and I’m happy with the storage space with this basket. There are foot push brakes and 16-inch air filled tires–the front tire locks in place for safe jogging (to make a turn, push down on the handle to raise the front end slightly so you can swivel on the back wheels–like any other jogging stroller). Doesn’t she look cute? The seat reclines, she has a handy snack tray, and I also have two cup holders on top. WHAT ELSE?! Looove this — the Jeep Overland jogging stroller comes with a speed and distance odometer! We’re setting goals this summer. There’s an adjustable 5-point harness (Rebecca’s needs to be adjusted) and reflectors for safety. It’s a study stroller (aluminum/steel frame) and has a pretty average jogging stroller weight of 26.4 pounds. Another super amazing awesome thing about the Jeep Overland jogging stroller is that it stands upright when folded! AHHH! Do you know how easy that makes transport and traveling?! Until you’ve had a stroller that doesn’t stand on its own, you won’t truly appreciate this feature! You can buy the Jeep Overland jogging stroller for $219.99 and it’s available from a bunch of online retailers including Amazon, Babies R Us, and Target. SILENT AUCTION: All proceeds will go directly to KIDS (Kids in Distressed Situations). Kolcraft strongly believes in giving back to the community and this silent auction will not only benefit moms and children in disadvantaged situations, but will also give the winner a great product at a fraction of the retail cost! The winner will be the highest bidder and will receive their own Jeep Overland jogging stroller. Rules: Entrants must be 18 or older and located in the US only. Starting bid is $5 and each following bid must be in $5 increments. To bid, leave a comment* on this blog post with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will end on June 7, 2013 at 11:59PM CST. The highest bid at that time wins

The boys had their end of school picnic on Monday, and man was it cute. Lemme show you. First, all the kids in their grade sang together. There’s Miles! Oliver and one of his buddies held hands as they walked off. His mom and I were standing next to each other, dying over it. And then Linus’s class performed. His teacher went all out for this. They were in costume, either Lions or Birds, and each group did a dance. It was pretty intricate, and I’m kicking myself for not having a video of it. (I chose to take photos instead. If only I could have done both.) Here they were getting ready. Linus loved his wings. Who wouldn’t? (I mean, really. The kid is just so freaking happy.) Oliver loved his brother’s costume as well. The performance: He could never not watch me. Taking a bow After the performance, the boys and Millie sort of posed for a picture… And Oliver got his face painted. That’s Spiderman. Kind of an abstract representation, you know. Can’t believe another year is almost over! The post My little stars appeared first on pyjammy's triplets.

Me: Arlo, what happened to the side of your face?!? Everly: a bahsneeto (mosquito) bit him!

I was recently introduced to a great new phone app (and other mobile devices) and was excited to test out it’s features in order to help me with a little home project I’ve been wanting to work on for a while now! YP – Local Search & Gas Prices app is a wonderful tool to provide you with information on tons of different businesses in your local area, including gas stations, restaurants, retail shops, contractors, etc. And it’s FREE! Ratings, reviews, videos and even deals across 18 million+ businesses are also included in the app, making it easy to explore and select businesses that offer the products and services you need to make your home project a reality. You’ll be able to find any vendor you might need for your upcoming home projects including, but not limited to: seamstress, gardeners, organizers, plumbers, contractors etc. For my home decor project I was able to find Todd from A Job Well Done who is a professional handyman.   Here is a sneak peek at the project I’m working on. The white louver door was painted red. Here is the before picture. I’ll post the during and after pictures on two others posts to keep you updated. Any guesses on what I’m making?? I’m excited to get working on this project, keep you updated on my progress and show you my completed project! Here’s the REALLY fun part…YP is offering YOU (one of my readers) a chance to win a $500 gift certificate for you to use on a project you’ve been itching to work on! In order to enter the contest, you just need to follow these simple instructions: Download the YP app for your iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Palm mobile device here or directly from your mobile device. Share the app from Facebook or Tweet from the YP app’s social sharing feature and include: A vendor/contractor you would use to complete your home project The hashtag #YPFixIt @DesignDazzle and @YP Twitter In order to track all of the contest entries, we will be using the Rafflecopter widget. Once you have tweeted about the vendor/contractor you’ll be using for your home project, simply complete the entry form using the Rafflectopter widget below. a Rafflecopter giveaway The giveaway will run through May 31st at 12:00 am and the winner will be contacted via e-mail within 48 hours. If you’re the winner, we would love to share your completed project on our blog for our readers to see! YP provided me with a gift card to complete my home project and the contractors I used were found via the YP app.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. The post YP App + $500 Giveaway appeared first on Design Dazzle.

I want to thank everyone for entering this giveaway. I appreciate all of our Design Dazzle followers. I hope you love what we share daily for you.  I’m also very appreciative of all the wonderful teachers who love and care for our children. This is why I decided to offer two machines to help those who serve our kids! I have a heavy heart because I would love to have all of you be winners. The winner of the TWO Cricut giveaway is…. ……………***********      Monica Mowry     ***********………………………. Winner will be notified by email at the email address provided in the Entry Information within 48 hours after the random drawing. Potential winner must accept a prize by email as directed by Sponsor within 48 hours of notification. If not, we will choose another winner. If you are on Twitter or Facebook, we have a $500 gift card giveaway starting today !! What would you purchase with a $500 gift card?? Enter here. The post WINNER of the Cricut Giveaway… appeared first on Design Dazzle.

Now that I have all kind of time to blog I can’t seem to stay focused on one thing. From my journal project, to reviews to tutorials… I hope you’re able to keep up. Forgive my randomness. Hopefully it’s just proving I’m a very random, well-rounded person. Speaking of random, digital scrapbooking is becoming a kind of new hobby for me. It’s strange but I look forward to creating these little doodads. How weird is that? What can I say, I’m a woman who likes to dabble. Erica has been doing a fantastic job turning my prompts into digital works of art. You can download the fourth week of digital prompts here. And without further adieu… Surprisingly I think about the hardest part of growing up a lot. Mostly because I don’t want my kids to have a “hardest part of growing up.” I think the most difficult part of growing up for me was the black hole I fell into sometime during high school. It’s like my brain got sucked into a time warp and I couldn’t see past the present. Everything I dealt with felt like such a HUGE deal. Little did I know there were so many more important things that would come into my life just a few years from then. Just being a teenager, combined with moving across the country my junior year—After I had just been voted class president—Not easy. Luckily, I made it through barely unscathed, and I didn’t lose focus too long, but it was a hard time. Because I remember how hard this was for me, I feel like I’m constantly thinking of ways to prepare to make that time easier for my children once they reach that age–even though it’s more than 14 years away. Side note: The most awesome time was college, but I’ll get to that later. This was Day 13 of the installment of 30 Things my kids should know about me. Follow the link to play along and link up. The post The sucky part of growing up appeared first on Baby Making Machine.

My kids love open ended toys that leave a lot to the imagination. As a parent I appreciate it too. I also love toys that enable them to play together, a little boy and his big sister. Toys that will keep their attention longer than five minutes on long New England winter days. We received the Plan Toys Chalet Dollhouse to review and the little ones have been playing with it for a month. There are so many things they love about it. To start, we love that it is two separate pieces and can be configured any way you wish. It can be a two family home. It can be a house in the city and a summer cottage in the country. It can be a train station and a hospital is they wish. Possibilities are endless! The awesome thing is that they can play with it not that they are 4.5 year old and 18 months, and they'll be playing with it for years - it's not something that will be outgrown any time soon. We will let the pictures do most of the talking in our review, it's gorgeous as you can see...Not only is the house itself open to rearrangement, there are also so many possibilities with the two sets of stairs and the furniture (shown in photos below). I still remember when I was about eight years old and I didn't have a dollhouse for my dolls, I made one out of the shelves on our gigantic, wall-size bookcase. My favorite thing was arranging furniture and reconfiguring the interior space. I wonder if my enthusiasm for that has anything to do with the fact that I got by Bachelor of Science in Interior Design many years later! I do think that it's great for their development to play with the interior space and pretend little people live there.Baby T seems to be too young to really appreciate the dollhouse, but Baby E is thrilled with it! It's really a little girl's dream. She loves the modern design of the house and the furniture. When Baby T isn't bothering her and pulling out all the furniture, she can be found lost in her imagination playing with this dollhouse, making up stories, and orchestrating the lives of little dolls down to fine details. The furniture for the dollhouse is wonderfully designed, there is only minimal assembly involved. You'll need a little wood glue for the beds to be put together, but you can do without it if you don't have an 18 month old that just takes things apart whenever he handles them. The rest of the furniture is really all one-piece items, no assembly required. When the furniture arrivedPeekaboo!The Plan Toys Chalet Dollhouse is easy to move around the house if the kids choose to play in different rooms, it is fairly light and can be grabbed by the top roof part without falling apart. It is something I would recommend putting together and never taking apart though, unless you absolutely have to for moving or something. It is easily accessible on all sides, so it's great when kids are playing alongside each other, there is no shortage of access space = less fighting, more sharing. I have to admit, assembling this dollhouse wasn't easy as it came without directions (probably lost somewhere because it was an open-box item, not an issue that you would face as a customer). Assembly took almost an hour, so Baby E and Baby T were getting a little impatient - and hubby a little frustrated. When my husband was finally done the kids were thrilled to start playing with it! Don't you just love those 'new toy' moments and watching the kids exploring something new? They were playing with it for a good hour.Plan Toys has an amazing selection of wooden toys, both classic and modern. You'll find everything from stackers, pull toys, and puzzles, to ride-on toys, musical toys, and kitchen toys. Out of all the dollhouse options, we think the Green Dollhouse is a pretty neat concept as well. These are the kind of toys that are worth splurging a little more on and will last for generations!Visit Plan ToysConnect with Plan Toys on Facebook and Twitter Follow on PinterestTop Mommy Blogs - Vote for us @ TopMommyBlogs.Com!