Little Pickle Press

Little Pickle Press - a conscientious kid's go-to

Fabulous site with some great books and a money kit that I'm thinking of "investing" in =)

Cute Chore Chart idea

I like Frecklebox's personalized stuff and since I'm having trouble reminding myself to give Curly a magnet each time he helps out...maybe this will help me do my chore =)

Great addition to a Waste-Free lunch - ScrappyNaps!

A friend shared these terrific all-in-one placemat/napkin setswith me today.
The boys each picked out the fire-fighter hat and the robot sets.  I'm hoping that she'll have more fabric choices later on because Mama needs one of her choice to =)
20% off through Faberuna
Enjoy!

Love these fashionable re-usable bags!

Some people might frown or scoff at the sight of my kid eating peanut butter crackers out of a Coach pouch.  Or they might think we're really hurting when they see me serve carrot sticks out of my pink organic pouch that's sewn diagonally across the bottom corner where the dog chewed a hole and ruined the perfect rectangular shape.  But, of course, I don't care.  Even though my kids might when they get to school...we have about 12 reusable bags/pouches that I throw snacks and sandwiches in in my quest to save the world one ziplock baggie at a time.

I tried to give them a pouch to be proud of (like they care) and so when a friend suggested PouchPals, made by a local mom, I was sold.  I got three pouches in different sizes and called it a day.  $7 and $9 for the different sizes.  BPA and all other bad stuff free.

When the topic came up in our local Mommy and Me class, I was happy to show off our PPs.  Come to find out, it's an idea that's catching on.  Another local mom is brilliant and has great taste too - check our her reusable bags at PBGreen. 

I loved the idea of a sandwich wrap that could be used as a placemat too.  And the fabrics were much cuter than the denim I had emailed to my MIL as a gift suggestion for my husband two years ago.  Thankfully, she passed on it.  I picked out the Giraffe print with a different background color and the two other coordinating fabrics are just as sweet, but we need more than just that one lunch set since the sandwich wrap is unique to our random bag collection.  Maybe the UCLA hibiscus print?  $20 for the set is a good price and individual bags are $6.50.

We don't see much of a difference in the way the boys access their snacks or use each bag so let personal preference and price be your guide.  Either way it's good for the environment, good for your kids and a way to help out a fellow mom. =)

Free bottle of Safe and Effective Cough Syrup

Zarbee's is giving you a free bottle of their Honey Natural Children's Cough Syrup if you post on their Facebook page or email them a picture of your recalled Tylenol or Motrin. You know you probably had 5 of them, but they're all tossed now...no worries at $9.95 a bottle, trying something new and safe won't break the bank, especially if you factor in the cost of peace of mind after all the problems with Tylenol the past year.

I signed up for the bottle swap, but couldn't wait long enough to see it supplies were still available, so I jumped the gun and ordered a bottle for myself and a bottle for a friend whose kids are frequently sick. Although my kids don't get coughs that much during Spring and Summer, I know we'll put this bottle to good use before it's 2011 exp. date.

My Mommy&Me class has been brainstorming other safe remedies for fever....let's hope Zarbee's gets the memo.

I'll let you know when we use it for the first time!

Brusha!

Took the two little ones to Target today and did major damage. But not to my boys' teeth. As we strolled up and down the aisle, Spike gnawed away on an apple. I was so proud of myself for grabbing that snack on the way out and not relying on the Annie's Bunny Snacks that I knew were in the diaper bag.

Spike was very helpful and picked out a new toothbrush for himself and each of his brothers. Up until now, I've been getting the Oral B Stages brushes because I know they are BPA free.

Inhabitots has a great review of eco-friendly and safe brushes and I think I'm going to take the Preserve route once and for all. They sparkle at me from the Trader Joe's aisles, but I love the idea of a ToothBrush Subscription plan that the boys can look forward to getting in the mail. The price isn't too far off from what I paid today for the Oral B and we're helping the planet keep cavities away too =)

If you want some fun toothbrush songs and a chart to help them (and you) remember to brush twice a day, check this out. We sing ours during breakfast and I make up silly ones while they're actually brushing.

As for toothpaste, we use Tom's of Maine for Mr. P and I and Weleda Children's Gel for the kiddies. I've actually caught Mr. P using it too =)

TruKid Rocks! Coupon code too!

In this previous post, I heralded the wonders of TruKid's products. Since ordering a lifetime supply of their Sunny Days sunscreen, I've also added the chapstick, the HeroStick, Happy Face and Body Lotion, Friendly Face Wash and the Bubbly Body Wash. Is there anything else to order?
Oh, yea, the conditioner and shampoo. The former of which I desperately needed until I donated my hair...but should order anyways. But I digress...

While patiently awaiting my order, I received a message on our machine from some girl named Jennifer who was calling about a problem with the security code on my credit card. A day or two later I got around to calling back and she answered the line. I assumed she was some college student working in their shipping department to avoid pole dancing and we casually chatted.

Now picture my jaw dropping to the floor as she mentions that one of her 6 kids is playing on the ground as she's taking my order. A nanosecond passes and my brain realizes that I am talking to none other than THE Jennifer, my ProductCrush, the creator of TruKid.

Holy Moley - she probably obtained the restraining order the next day. I could not STOP thanking her for calling me herself, for creating such a wonderful line of trustworthy products and finally, for giving me a 20% off orders of $25 or more to share with ALL MY FRIENDS.

That means you. So use the money you save to donate to my legal defense fund when I'm arrested for stalking this amazing woman.

Oh, the code. PICK20. That's right. My new BFF loves me so much that she put part of my name in the code.

Ultimate Blog Party 2010

I love me a good party. Especially one I can attend in my jammies while the hubby and kids are sawing logs.
Janice and Susan, the duo (literally - twins) behind 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting their annual Ultimate Blog Party again.
Last year, I just lurked. This year, lurking still, but thought the 8 of you might want to join me =)
Click on the button below and pick a number. Visit every blog that ends in that number. Random stratified sampling, see? =)

And don't forget to sign up for 5 Minutes for Mom and 5 Minutes for Photography - my two faves! I love the quick and inspirational reads!

Another shout-out for the store Janice and Susan own. I drool over some of the retro phones - especially the one that reminds me of my grandparents' red one with a direct line to the President.

So I'm Jennifer...I have 3 boys under 4, 2 dogs under 16, 1 marriage just under 9 and 1 husband just under 16 =)
I started 2 separate blogs in 2006 when my first son was born. One for our family's memories since I type fast and am terrible at writing things in their baby books. I think my mom still reads it.
The other was an outlet for sharing with no one in particular the results of my OCD and anal-ness when it came to researching stuff for my kiddos. I think my friends Anne Marie and Kristen are the only ones still reading. Oh, and my mom.

Got pregnant again, threw up for 25 weeks (again) and stopped blogging. Started up again. Got pregnant again, threw up for 25 weeks (yet again) and stopped.

Now I'm back.

Until I get knocked up again.

Can it be a girl this time? =) Just asking.

I don't get paid for any of the opinionated posts I put up. And if I win anything ever in my life, it's the pleasure of being the booger retriever in my house when cold season hits.

If I did win something through UBP, golly gee willikers!

Read Little Man

Since DayOne we've read to the boys. Anytime they ask. Drop everything.
I was at IKEA with a friend recently and found these adorable boxes in a set of 3 (one large, two small) for $2.
So...I bought 5 sets. Hey, you never know when you might wish you had that many to fill a bookshelf or something....$2!

I figured out what to do with the first set pretty quickly. I put the long box in Curly's bed and the two small ones in Spike and Trilogy's cribs. Curly and Spike have their books in theirs and Trilogy (when he can someday) will be able to grab from his lovey and some small chew toys.

The boxes are soft cotton, foldable and extremely flexible. They're also reversible and have a zipper closure on the bottom. I feel very safe having these in the beds with the boys. They also came in red.

It eliminates one extra step when I go to bed - prying a book from Curly's hands or unsticking it from his chin or trying not to laugh at the crease across his forehead when he's fallen asleep on top of The Very Hungry Caterpillar =)

Speaking of CSA..reusable bags for those veggies!

I think I'm having deja vu and can't remember if I posted this before..but here are some wonderful reusable vegetable bags that I found on etsy. My mother in law also got me some of these. I really like them so far. I just need to get more now that we're overwhelmed with healthy stuff.
Our box came today and, again, vegetables GALORE. Check it out...

And for those of you who aren't able to participate in a CSA and still purchase veggies from the brick and mortar stores =), the EWG has this handy-dandy pocket guide for use at the store when purchasing produce.

Makes me want to cook more!

How precious are these? I just KNOW I'll look as cute in this when I'm 9 months preggo as the model, right? I found these when reading another blog about a family of all women who make a traditional German birthday meal. They all looked so fabulous and the cooking so fun. Was it because of their fashion choices or their culinary talent? Who knows? Either way, I had to find out where the aprons came from.

The Hip Hostess was the spot!

I think I'm going to send this link to hubby for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day or my birthday. He's got 3 chances to start eating right by May =)