Celebrate Marriage

Look what I got...

And I love it. It's soft, bright, fits well, and makes my husband smile.
Would you like one too? Or perhaps you'd like one that reads "My Wife Rocks." Those are also available at From *Me Tees. Go check them out. You can also read a longer review at Becoming Me.

Is Your Booster Safe?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted tests of all booster seats currently on the market. More seats than not fall into the "not recommended" category, meaning they won't provide adequate safety for your child in a crash. Thankfully, X-factor's Graco Turbobooster is a "good bet," though not a "best bet."

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

Here is a story I found in the New York Times about 11 healthy foods that we normally don't eat. You can normally find 4 of them in our house: cinnamon, turmeric, dried plums, and frozen blueberries. And of course, before Thanksgiving you could probably find that can of pumpkin. I would have to say no thanks to the beats and cabbage, though.

Top 5: Our Favorite Cereals

As I mentioned in my Top 5 Cereals that are Marketed as Health Food, But Really Aren't, we only buy cereals with 6 grams of sugar or less. Also, cereal can be expensive, so I try to buy cereals that are less that $.20/ounce. Even with these restrictions, you can find some tasty cereals. Here are the five you are most likely to find in our pantry.

1. Honey Bunches of Oats: The regular and the cinnamon clusters are our favorite. Avoid the chocolate one. If you're really in the mood for chocolate, you'll be disappointed. [Dkay, I bet you're happy that this one passed the low sugar test.]
   
2. Life: Again, both the regular and cinnamon are yummy.
   
3. Cheerios: This one does double duty as a top 5 toddler finger food.
   
4. Rice Krispies: Could anyone not love that "snap, crackle, pop" in your mouth?
   
5. Kix: Probably the least healthy one on the list. Mrs. N. and the kids enjoy this one more than I.
   

Any others you recommend?

Top 5: Cereals that are Marketed as Health Food, but Really Aren’t

I’m one of those people that clog up the lane in the cereal aisle because I’m studiously reading all the nutrition labels. One of my pet peeves is all the cereals that are trying to sell you on their health benefits, but have way too much sugar to really be healthy. I think that is deceptive. Maybe they had to add a lot of sugar to make all the healthy stuff in there taste good. Here are my Top 5, with their sugar content.

1. Healthy Choice (28g): Twenty-eight grams of sugar is a “healthy choice”?
2. Smart Start (28g): How smart is consuming 28g of sugar in a single serving?
3. Multi-Grain Cheerios (20g): Multi-grain sounds good. Twenty grams of sugar does not. Regular Cheerios only has six grams.
4. Wheaties (14g): How could a cereal with an athlete on the box be unhealthy? I guess if I were going to be in the Super Bowl or the Olympics, I could use a little extra sugar.
5. Kashi GoLean Crunch (13g): How about "GoSugarHigh Crunch." Kashi is an organic brand. Organic is usually associated with healthy, but many of the cereals they make have a whole bunch of sugar.

This is in no way a complete list. If you see a cereal with any of the following words in their name, chances are they’re going to have a lot of sugar: raisin, granola, fiber, nut.

As a general rule, we don’t buy any cereals with more than 6 grams of sugar. Would you like to see a list of our favorites next?

Top 5: Baby Stuff that You Shouldn't Skimp On

In previous posts on this topic, I discussed the Top 5 Useless Baby Stuff, and Top 5 Baby Stuff that you Shouldn't Spend a Lot of Money On. Of course, there are also some products that are worth paying top dollar for. Here are my Top 5.

1. Baby Carrier: Baby Bjorn makes the best carrier on the market. I used it a lot when X-factor was a baby. Since we lived in a 2nd story apartment, it was often more convenient than a stroller for short trips.
   
2. Crib Mattress: With X-factor we got a cheapest one we could find. By the time she transitioned to a bed, it was very worn and, I assume, difficult to sleep on. So, for Z-man I'm glad we got something better (thanks to Nannie).
   
3. Car Seat: This one should be obvious. When it comes to the safety of my little ones, I don't skimp.
   
4. Changing Table: Dkay thought this should be in the Useless Baby Stuff list. There are two trains of thought here. 1) Go really cheap, or no changing table. Use the floor or a bed. 2) Get a nice changing table that becomes a dresser when you're done using it as a changing table.
   
5. Breast Pump: For working mommies, you need the convenience of a good breast pump. I was a stay-at-home daddy for five months. It was really important for getting X-factor a steady supply of the good stuff.
   
   

Top 5: Baby Stuff that We Shouldn't Spend a Lot of Money On (But Usually Do)

The "baby stuff" industry does a pretty good job convincing us that we need to spend a lot of money on this and that. Thanks to everyone who left comments on my Top 5 Useless Baby Stuff list. I like hearing about other parents experiences with these products. I've found that a lot of the expensive baby stuff adds a lot of features that are really unnecessary and rarely, if ever used, so the cheap stuff works just fine, or in some cases, better. So here's my list of baby products that you shouldn't spend a lot on.

1. Strollers: Expensive strollers usually add a lot of features that just add a lot of weight. Since you often need to take strollers in and out of car trunks, closets, and such, I've found the cheaper, lightweight ones to be more convenient.
2. High Chairs: The main thing I'm looking for in a high chair is something that is easy to clean. The fancy high chairs add a lot of little nooks, cup holders, and such that just make it harder to clean. If high chair manufacturers really wanted to make me happy they would make it with a tray that would fit in the dishwasher.
3. Bottles: Here again, easy to clean is the priority. As a general rule, the more expensive the bottle, the more parts it will have to clean. (If you've ever tried Dr. Brown's, you know what I mean.) The simple, cheap ones work just fine for me.
   
4. Swing: Mostly, you just need the swinging motion and the kind that takes batteries instead of the manual crank. Sadly, we discovered (the hard way) that while the swing may work wonders for your firstborn, it may cause the second to just scream louder.
5. Bassinet: You're only gonna use this for about 4 months, so why spend a lot of money on it? With X-factor we just used bassinet that came with the pack and play. I liked it because it also had the changing table right there.
   

Any others you would add? Any suggestions for a "baby stuff you shouldn't skimp on" list?

Top 5: Useless Baby Stuff

1. Pockets on Baby Clothes: Huh? Have you ever heard of a baby needing a pocket? "Uh-oh, wait Mom I forgot my wallet!" Yeah, right.
2. Baby Monitors: I'll probably get a lot of folks disagreeing with me on this one, but this is the way I see it. Babies are LOUD. If they really need you, you will know, even without a baby monitor. Plus, what parents of newborns need more than anything is sleep. Being able to hear every little coo coming from the baby room won't help you get the good night sleep that you need.
3. Wipe Warmers: Let's see. Wipes need to be moist. Add heat, what do you get? Dry wipes. Brilliant.
4. Bibs that Tie: Attention bib manufacturers: there's this nifty invention that's been around since 1941. It's called VELCRO!
   
5. Walkers: Crawling is a perfectly acceptable developmental stage. It builds coordination and upper body strength, so there's no need to rush the walking thing. I've even heard of parents knocking their young-uns on their bums whenever they start to walk just so they won't walk too soon.

Any others that you think deserve an honorable mention?

Top 5: Best Toddler Finger Foods

Here is the much anticipated sequel to my Top 5: Baby Foods post. So what are my favorite finger foods for a toddler?

1. Peas: Nutrition packed and just the right size, it almost like God made them especially for toddlers. I've noticed that toddlers don't like these overcooked, though. We buy them frozen, plop in boiling water. As soon as the water comes to a boil, we strain them and douse them with cold water to stop the cooking. I've noticed that you don't have to reheat the leftovers. Toddlers like them cold, too. An even easier way to prepare peas is to buy the steam-fresh frozen variety.
   
2. Goldfish: Dkay guessed this one correctly. I must admit, the first time I saw toddlers eating goldfish, I was horrified. But then I read the nutrition label and realized it wasn't too bad. They come in whole grain now, which is even better. Plus, I was delighted to find that they now sell the whole grain version in the big 'ole humungo box. The only nutritional concern is the high sodium, but high sodium may not be as bad as once thought.
3. Cheerios: This one should come as no surprise. Is there a toddler today that doesn't get half their calories from cheerios? There are some organic brands that are slightly better nutritionally, but some of those are too hard for toddlers to chew.
   
4. Bananas: The only carryover from the the Top 5 Baby Foods, instead of mashing we cut them into bite-sized pieces. It won't take long before you can just put half a banana in their hand and let them chomp down on their own. Pumpkindoodle used to "double-fist" a banana every morning. Also a great snack for adults and they even come in their own wrapper (ever notice someone put bananas in their own little plastic bag at the grocery store, what's up with that?).
   
5. Raisins: Like peas, just the right size, and like Goldfish and Cheerios, they travel easily.
   

What would you add to the list?