Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Favorite websites

With all the stuff out there to inform parents or simply keep moms "hip" I've encountered a few sites that are quickly becoming favorites. Here is a quick list.

www.momfinds.com – Hip finds for moms and kids, fashion guide and news for mom's, shopping guide.

www.shefinds.com - email newsletter for women to get the latest styles and products that fit everyone and every budget.

www.poshcravings.com – the pursuit of maternal mojo

www.celebrity-babies.comjust for fun

www.coolmompicks.com – more great stuff you didn't even know you wanted

www.giggle.com – more great products that include some hard to find items unless you live NY or LA

www.thecradle.com – the lifestyle destination for pregnancy and new parenthood

www.tripit.com – great way to plan group trips and stay connected with family and friends from afar

www.Poshtots.com – over priced stuff you don't need but let's be real some of us want. Dreaming is good and it is a great place for ideas and inspiration.

Of course the Target website is a daily click and the Wal-Mart website is bookmarked for printing pictures of our little one… they are quick and cheap and with two sets of grandparents and multipule aunts and uncles multiple sets can get expensive so keep them in mind for pictures.

Gadgets we love

Who knew there was SO much stuff in the baby world! Although we are well aware that most of it is for convenience and not a necessity we do love some of our gadgets and would like to share some of our favorites with you. Let us know if you have other favorites we should consider or if you need more info on any of the stuff posted.

Strollers: We know some people have one for every occasion but here are two favorites that seem to fill almost every need for us. Our favorite and most versatile stroller is the Zooper Zydeco. The Zydeco is a bit pricey but if you look on line you can find some great deals on last year's models. This three-wheeler is sturdy enough to last through a few kids and can go just about anywhere. It has a reversible seat that also folds down completely so you can use it with your child since birth. It also accommodates car seats. It has a HUGE canopy that is great for TX sun and too many other features to name. We have taken it just about everywhere including the beach and trails as well as nice restaurants and jogging. Only drawback is that it is not really very compact and it does weight more than those umbrella strollers but we like how sturdy it is and how well protected our daughter seems in it. You can check out the Zydeco at We have the Red 2007 model and although the canopy is red and black we think it looks just as cool. Our second favorite stroller is the Karoo from KeeKaroo ... this is the quick in and out light weight stroller we use. After a lot of research we decided that for the price this was better than any Maclaren or like umbrella strollers. We also got the Height Right highchair and love them both. The only drawback to this stroller is that is sits lower to the ground and it does not "fully" recline but it does recline pretty far and overall that was not a big deal for us since our daughter loves to see the world around her now that she sits up well.

Car Seats: We have the Graco Safeseat and multiple bases for all the grandparents and other cars and although we really like it note that if your child is taller or bigger than most you might have to get a convertible seat sooner rather than later. The other seat we have and really like is the Sunshine Kids Radian 80. Checkout this site, hipmonkey.com… it donates its profits to help purchase car seats for children in need: You can also go to Sunshine Kids website for more detailed info. Our daughter is only six months but already measures more than 28 inches and weighs 20 lbs so we know that the Safeseat will not last long enough.

Cribs, etc.: Our experience is that although bassinets are cute (we got one at our baby shower) they don't last long if your child is tall. Solution… a portable crib. We purchased a portable crib by Delta at Babies R Us and love it. It fits into a corner of our bedroom where she still sleeps and we got one for each grandmother's house. The crib has two height adjustments and is easily storable and moveable. We did add a port-a-crib mattress since it only comes with a 1 inch foam that would be too hard for the baby to sleep on. Consider this, at $99 it cost less than a bassinet and will last you three or four times as long. Although you can buy these online, Babies R Us seems to have them at a lower price than online. Our full size crib is the Leksvik from IKEA and we love that it was not as expensive as everything else we'd seen and we liked the styling.

More gadgets to come…

Challenges and all the fun we have overcoming them

As a first time mom I frequently find myself faced with challenges and not just the big stuff which we expect like saving for college or teaching children manners but the little stuff like, “how do I hold the bottle while I drive” or “how do I get her to eat when she is distracted by every little noise”. Well you get the point… challenges are present all the time when this is the first time you are doing this. For all you seasoned mothers I know this seems simplistic but think back to the days when you too were clueless and had to figure it out as you went along. Remember how great you felt when you finally got it? When you managed to get the baby to eat despite the distractions or finally figured out how to get her to play on the bed or in her crib while you folded the laundry.

I have to be honest, many times when my life seems consumed by the baby’s schedule I feel overwhelmed and a little like a failure. So many women seem to do this so well with multiple children and yet here I am with only one and I can’t seem to figure it out. There are moments when I want to start crying right along with my daughter. Oh who am I kidding? I have cried right along with her especially when I can’t get her to sleep and I am tired and overwhelmed, but I LOVE it. I love looking at her face when she smiles and even when she cries. I LOVE being a mom even though it took me a little longer than most. I LOVE holding her and smelling her and even talking to her even though obviously at six months she is not talking to me.

For all the work that a child brings into one’s life they also bring a whole lot of satisfaction and I am grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to experience that. I know that eventually I will get it and that hopefully as my husband and I stumble together into parenthood we can hold each other up and encourage each other to be better and stronger for her and for any other children we might be blessed with.

Starting out

Dear family, friends and other interested readers: Thank you for taking time to visit my blog. In essence this is my space to share not only the "meaningful" moments in our life but also to share tips, tricks, and links to sites, gadgets, and other things that make life as a parent that much more fun or interesting. As the mother of a 6 month old who also works fulltime I am not sure how often I will be able to post but please subscribe to be notified of new posts or simply visit when the wind blows you in our direction. Enjoy.

Estimada familia, amigos y otros lectores interesados: Gracias por tomarse el tiempo de visitar mi blog. Básicamente este es mi espacio para compartir con ustedes no solo los momentos "importantes" de nuestra vida pero también para compartir tips, tricks, y links que nos hacen la vida como padres más divertida e interesante. Ya que soy madre primeriza de una nena de solo 6 meses y también trabajo tiempo completo no se qué tan seguido podre escribir y actualizar la información pero si gustan subscríbanse para que se les notifique cuando ponga algo nuevo o solo visiten este sitio cuando el viento los traiga por acá. Espero que disfruten.

Little Passports