Going on Vacation...

We're headed to New Jersey, to visit family. I'll be back next week, (hopefully) with survival tales of flying with Mayhem.

August Bluum Box

I finally received my August Bluum box. This subscription service provides samples geared towards babies (0-12 months) and mommies. While both of my boys are older than 12 months, I wanted to give this company a try! First of all, the packaging is adorable- good work ladies! Below is a description of the items that I received.

1. Hip Peas (0.5 oz. sample size)- This company provides natural hair products for little kids. Their products are environmentally friendly, and they also give 10% of their profits to child-focused charities. Hip Peas is their balm, which I would love to try- but my children have the shortest, fairest hair you've ever seen. I may need to borrow a friend's daughter to test!





2. Caldrea Hand Soap- Caldrea provides quality, earth-friendly products and uses essential oils and plant-derived ingredients. The website says that they sell these products at Target, I am definitely going to give some of the cleaning products a try!





3. Amalou Skin Care (2 0.5 oz sample sizes)- This is the first and only full maternity skin care line. These products work to balance, cleanse and moisturize to provide a healthy glow during pregnancy! The Bluum box included an exfoliating face wash and a detoxifying tonic. I'm glad that I know this exists!





4. Triple Cream (full 2 oz. size)- At first, I thought this was Triple Paste- which I have used on both my boys to clear up nasty diaper rash. This is different though- Triple CREAM. This product is formulated to deliver a blend of healing ingredients to provide relief for dry skin or eczema. My older son actually has eczema, and from a quick test of this product- it very nourishing, and it doesn't leave a film. I'll be keeping this one in his room!





5. Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara and Oil-Free Makeup Remover- What's nice about Bluum is that they include items for Mommies too! I was happy to see this Mary Kay pack in my Bluum box! I have actually never tried Mary Kay- so this is a first for me!





All in all in think this is a good subscription service. I like that there was a full size item (Triple Cream), and I like that it had items for me AND the kids. The packaging is nice, and there were several discounts included in the box. And the price is right! I stopped getting the Citrus Lane box because it was a bit pricey. I also suggested that they include 'big kids' in the subscription- and I was told they are working on it! Good work, Bluum!!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention- the Wittlebee kids clothing club. A discount card was included, which also explains how the service works. For $39.99/month, they ship $100 of new kids clothing items to your house with free shipping. For each order, they donate a onesie to a nonprofit. Cute idea, but I prefer to shop for clothes!

OC Fair 2012

Each year, our family makes sure to get in a visit to the OC Fair. My husband plots which new and exciting food he’ll try, and I wonder what (all of) my boys will be excited about this year! Last year, we rode an elephant, we won a fish, walked through an ice sculpture gallery and sampled fried Kool-Aid. This year, my husband tried chocolate-covered bacon, and J went on some rides all by himself!



It was fun to see Mayhem get out and enjoy the fair. Last year, he was only a few months old when we came! He liked the piglets, and LOVED all the food.

We stopped by the genealogy booth, and picked up a history of our last name. The print was matted, and has our family crest on it. Pretty interesting! Our family motto is apparently, “Conscious of no wrong”. Seems true! Whether that's a good thing, or a bad thing- that's to be debated.

We picked up a light switch cover, shaped like a stegosaurus. We had a giraffe print cover in J’s room from his nursery, and it was time to upgrade to his dinosaur room.

[caption id="attachment_810" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Stegosaurus Light Switch cover[/caption]

We also found a T-Rex at the fair, which J loved! He couldn't stop looking at it.

[caption id="attachment_806" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Wow...[/caption]

All in all, it was a great day. And admission for the entire family was $4, so you can’t beat that! Have you been to the OC Fair, or a local fair near your house? 

Gotta love an Honest Toddler...

Weaning from the Pacifier

We went to the pediatrician for our 18-month check up on Friday, and he suggested that we get rid of Mayhem's pacifier by age 2. I swear, when the doctor said that- he scrunched up his face in disgust, as though he knew EXACTLY what the doctor was saying. The doctor suggested that I leave the pacifier in the crib, and the first time I tried that- Mayhem looked at me like I was crazy! It will be a process. I know I don't want him going to pre-school with a pacifier, but I wasn't thinking about taking the pacifier away from him at a certain age. J was, and still is, a thumb-sucker- so this is a first for me.

For now, I'm going to try to give him the pacifier only when he goes to bed, then gradually get rid of them. He LOVES his blanket, so hopefully he can get used to just being attached to that. I know he is dealing with some teeth right now, so once that is over I will focus more on the transition.

My husband was happy to hear the pediatrician's suggestion, because he feels that Mayhem will be able to start talking more without the pacifier on his mouth. It is hard to talk without having it fall out! Have you gone through this process? Do you have any tips to share?




Image courtesy: www.overstock.com

Big Headed Babies

At our 18 month old check-up with Baby Mayhem this week, it was once again pointed out that my children have very large heads. Like, larger than 95% of their peers at any given time. Does the pediatrician think that I would be unaware of this fact? I have to buy t-shirts for Mayhem that have snaps on the neck opening. Otherwise, they don't fit over his head. I had (and still have) the same problem with J. My boys have large heads. I'm not sure why anyone would think that this would be news to me- I HAD THEM. I wanted to mention that hydrocephalus is one of the reasons that pediatricians measure babies' head sizes- so before you think I'm being insensitive, be aware that it was ruled out because the boys were alert, happy and meeting all their 'milestones.' Anyways, after our last visit I started thinking (most likely, defensively) about the pros and cons of having a large head. Here they are!


CONS


1. Clothing issues. As I mentioned, I have to pay special attention to how things are going to fit over their heads. Onesies work well, but once they outgrow those- t-shirts with snaps work well. Rash guards, which are necessary because of another common trait- PASTY SKIN- must be purchased in a size (or 2) up from what they are wearing.

2. Top-heavy. This causes some issues in learning to sit up, crawl or walk. Those heads are HEAVY!

3. Being called a 'big boy'. The size of their heads makes them appear larger than they actually are. I get many, many comments about my 'big boys'. Yeah, I get it- they aren't petite little girls. And that's OK!

PROS

1. Camera-ready. Just like John Travolta, having a large head makes you look better in pictures.


2. Big brains. Do you know what's in those big heads? Big brains. Nuff said.

3. Helmet heads. Their oversized heads seem to take hits better than others. Or maybe they are just tough cookies. :)




Having a large head hasn't hindered either of these boys. Both walked right at 12 months (ok, Mayhem was a bit earlier). They'll look good in pictures, and I'll have to buy clothes slightly larger- no big deal. In fact, I'm a bit jealous- because I have a tiny head, and I can never wear hats because they don't stay on my head!!

J's Dinosaur Birthday Extravaganza

This weekend was J’s 4th birthday Dinosaur Dig. My sister, my mother (“Grandma”) and I spent weeks planning this party. It had to be dinosaur theme, the kid is obsessed! We decided that we needed some space, so my parents’ backyard was our location of choice. We ordered the invites from www.minted.com, with a gift certificate from my June Citrus Lane box!  Grandma found an adorable ‘Roar party kit’ at www.merimeri.com. The colors were just what I had envisioned! We ordered some cake plates, napkins, and a cupcake kit. This kit included cupcake papers and dinosaur cupcake toppers which were toothpicks with dinosaur pictures on them. J loved these. He helped us decorate his cupcakes. The highlight of this order for me was the centerpiece. It roars!  I found some bright green plates for lunch, and blue and green Solo cups for beverages.  While the boys were napping one afternoon I made a birthday banner and goodie bags, which was very out of character for me. I’m NOT crafty! I had ordered the goodie bag fillers from Amazon.com- dinosaur bath squirters, stickers, and pencils. The morning of the party, we grabbed some balloons and ‘paleontologist hats’ at the party store. Grandma also grabbed moustaches- which were a huge hit!

Grandma brilliantly suggested that we order tables/chairs from a party rental company, who also brought tablecloths (light blue). They brought a kiddie table, which was too cute. It was a mini version of a banquet table, complete with kiddie chairs! I decorated the adult tables with the help of the birthday boy, we spread brown sugar in the center for ‘sand’ and placed a few dinosaurs on each table. The kids table had dinosaur masks on the back of each chair, and their paleontologist costume at each seat. The ladies spent the day before the party cleaning, decorating the house, and baking.










My husband contributed by hiding ‘dinosaur eggs’  outside for the Junior Paleontologists to find, stuffing and hanging the piñata, and carving a watermelon to look like a T-Rex! At Target, I found a Triceratops piñata.

[caption id="attachment_752" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Mayhem didn't quite understand the pinata...[/caption]

Happy Birthday, little man. I hope you know how much we all love you!!

Day 3: TheCrazy Adventures of Staying Home with My Kids

Thursday- I decide to go 'low-key' today. We spend the morning playing with dinosaurs. 

Then we plan to meet a couple friends at the Ladera Water Park in the early afternoon. J loves the place, and I know that Mayhem will enjoy being in the water. So I pack up the van, and head over at 1 pm. J usually takes his nap around 2 pm, but I tell myself that we'll stay a few hours- and just take a late nap. I slather all three of us in sunscreen. I pack a bag of snacks, and a bag of toys. I stake out some lounge chairs... and I'm thinking we're doing well. It's hot, but we're OK. My friend brings her 'older kids'- they are 5 and 7 (Hi, Jen!). Usually, J stays RIGHT with me- but this time he's decided to venture off with them. During our periodic 'safety breaks'- I'm prepared with snacks and more sunscreen.

Then, it's time to go home. Besides the fact that I have lost some toys to the greater good... J does NOT want to leave. He loses his mind. This is not my child. He does not act like this. But, he is extremely tired... and it's 4 pm. I hand Mayhem to Jen- and begin to chase J through the water park. In my sundress. I end up dragging him part of the way, and threatening his life under my breath. I load up the stroller the best I can- and stick J in it. He's wet, wrapped in a towel, crammed in a stroller, and screaming. I hold my head up, put Mayhem on my hip- and march to the car.

Boy, was I ready to go back to work. I told my husband, "If I say that I want to stay home with them again, just let me. Then, ask me again after two days home with them. I bet I'll say 'nevermind, working's not so bad!'" He just laughed, but I wasn't joking. I love my children, but I'm not sure that I'm cut out to be home with them full-time. Could I do it? Yes. Would it be the best move for our family? Not likely. Brutal honesty.

Has anyone else had an eye-opening experience like this?!