Graco Harmony High Chair Recall

All Graco Harmony High Chairs have been recalled.  You can order a repair kit online for Free and it is also Free Shipping.
I got a notice in the mail today so I thought it would be good to share with everyone.
Clink on this link Graco High Chair Recall to order your repair kit today.  It will take about 6 to 8 weeks in the mail.  They state that on the order form, but I had to order a repair kit for our stroller earlier this year and it didn't take that long.  It is recommended you stop using it until you receive your repair kit and install it.
The website has instructions on how to install the repair kit.  Click on this link for instructions on a PDF file Rapair kit installation instructions.

Bath and Body Works giveaway

Staying Lean in Oakland - $25 GC Bath and Body Works Giveaway
Go to the link above and follow instructions on how to enter.  This is AWESOME!! 
I always buy their Wallflowers for our home.  They last a long time and when people visit our home they always compliment how nice it smells even with 4 cats and a baby.  :o)

Good Luck!!

Super Saver Saturday

I usually go shopping on Mondays.  It just works better for us and that way I get to spend more time with my husband on Satudays.  However, today I had to do an emergency run to Publix because our son is still vomiting (he started on Tuesday and has been on and off since).  The deal I got was amazing!!  I got 1 gallon of Lactose Free Milk, 4 bottles of unflavored Pedialyte, a Yoplait Greek yogurt, and a bottle of Bailey's Coffee Creamer.  I only spent $11.67!!!!  The funny part was that the lady in front of me at the cash register was saving a bundle too.  She spent under $30 and saved over $70.  My total savings were $20.61.  I had $19.83 worth of coupons.  Coupons are AWESOME!!!!

New Features to come

As I get more organized with my blog, I will be adding new features to it.
One new feature I will be starting this Monday, Lord willing, is Menu Plan Mondays.  My dear friend and sister in Christ, Mary Jo, joined a while back and I recently saw it on her blog Covenant Homemaking.  She inspired me to start planning our meals so that I don't scramble thru the kitchen to try and put something together.  I started last Monday but could not post it due to our cat incident.  Read This Post for the full story on that.  I have to say it was super helpful so I decided to implement it into my blog hopping I can inspire others.

I will also be sharing my savings for the week on my shopping trips.  This will help keep me accountable to stay within budget every single week from now on.  I will be linking up to Money Saving Mom website.  Make sure and check her website.  She has awesome tips on how to save!  Also, check this website out I Heart Publix.  She has awesome deals as well and tips on how to save the most at Publix.

I mentioned last night that I will be adding a Parents tip of the Day feature.  This one is my own, so feel free to let all your friends who are parents or parents to be to follow my blog to read more great tips.  Also, please share your own tips that worked for you and your family!

Parents Tips

Parents Magazine has a section in every issue called It Worked for Me.  In it, readers send in their parenting tips to share with other readers.  Only a few are selected for every issue.
I have been consolidating the ones that I think are very helpful.  I will be adding a Post every week called Parents Tips of the Day.  I have not picked a day yet in which I will post it on a regular basis so keep an eye out for it soon.
In the meantime, here are some tips that I would like to share with you today.

• Look Book for Baby:  So that your baby will let you read your own magazine or book in peace, create this easy to make look book for your baby.  Cut out some pictures from magazines, newspapers, old books, etc. and slide them into sheet protectors.  Add the sheet protectors to a binder and  . . . there you go!  Baby has his/her own book!!
• Label Maker:  I had already shared this one thru Facebook a few weeks ago but I will share it again for those readers who missed it.  Write your child's name with permanent marker on a wide rubber band.  Slip the rubber band around your child's cup (or bottle or sippy cup)  and now each child knows who's drink belongs to who.
• Taco solution for older kids:  Soft tacos can be messy even though they are yummy.  To avoid the mess, use a mini chip bag clip to clip the top of the soft taco tortilla together.  

Look for more exciting tips to come!!  Enjoy!!
Feel free to share your Parents tips.

Do's and Don'ts when your child is vomiting

OK, so this one I had to use this week.  Our week was full of trials.  First, our cat Sebastian (1 of 4 cats!) had an accident involving a door, the tip of his tail, and my husband.  Needless to say I had to take him to the vet first thing Monday morning.  He ended up having part of his tail amputated and was sent home with antibiotics and pain meds.  Later that evening, he decided to play with his tail and bit on it and made it bleed so I had to drive back to the vet.  He ended up spending the night at the cat hospital.  He is now wearing a cone on his head to keep him from biting his tail.  His stitches come out in a week.

Then, on Tuesday evening, our son started vomiting.  He woke up on Wednesday morning at 4 am vomiting again.  He was fine the rest of Wednesday but vomited again Wednesday evening.  He went to the doctor early Thursday morning and the doctor gave me some tips on how to keep him hydrated and also what kind of solid foods he is allowed to eat for now.  I also got some tips from the book The Complete and Authoritative Guide: Caring for Your Baby and Young Child.  I got the book FREE from Publix when I signed up for their Baby Club.

Do...:

• ...Provide plenty of fluids.  Examples are water, Gatorade or Powerade, Pedialyte, Lactose Free Milk for those children who can't go without it (like my baby!) 
• ...Provide certain solid foods like bananas, apple sauce, saltine crackers, cheerios, and white rice.
• ...Avoid anything with sugar like Sprite or 7Up soda, fruit juice, and Jello.  This will make them go to the bathroom and do #2!  We want to try and avoid diarrhea.
• ...Check for signs of dehydration like fewer than 3 diaper changes in 24 hrs, dry tears, and dry mouth.

Don"t...:

• ...Provide whole milk.  If your child is asking or crying for milk, give them Lactose Free milk instead.
• ...Provide any heavy foods like pizza, chicken nuggets, fries, etc.
• ...Provide anything with sugar.  I repeat this one because our pediatrician stated this is very important to keep the child from getting diarrhea.
• ...Hesitate!!  If you suspect your child is suffering from dehydration call your pediatrician right away or take your child to the ER.

Below are some guidelines as to how to provide your child with fluids during the first 24 hours:

• Wait two to three hours after the last vomiting incident before providing fluids.  After that time has lapsed, give the child 1 to 2 ounces of cool water every half hour to an hour for four feedings.
• If the child is able to keep the water down, then provide 2 ounces of an electrolyte solution alternated with 2 ounces of cool water every half hour for two feedings.
• If the child is able to keep that down, then add half strength milk or formula (depending on the age) and continue to increase the quantity of fluids slowly to 3 to 4 ounces every three to four hours.
• After 12 to 24 hours with no additional vomiting, you can gradually return your child to their normal diet but continue to give them plenty of fluids.

I hope this post is helpful.  I know these tips helped me deal with our son's vomiting this week.

Home Garden Update

I had posted before that I am starting a home garden to grow our own veggies and in the future maybe fruits too.  So far I have a tomato plant and a Green Pepper plant going.  See photos below.

Today, I planted Basil, Rosemary, and Onions.  I will post photos once they start to grow. 
I will need to transplant the Tomato and Green Peppers plants in Mid April outdoors.  I will continue to update and place photos of the plants after I transplant them and as they grow and produce veggies. 
I am very excited about the outcome. 

Burn Fat Faster

From Parents Magazine, March 2010 Edition

The best exercise is High Intensity Interval Training - alternating short feel the burn bursts with periods of lower intensity.  The proof is in the International Journal of Obesity which reports that women who did three 20 min interval sessions a week lost three times more weight than those who worked out at an even rate for twice as long.  The study was taken over a four month period of time.

To try intervals, use this 20 min routine from Tracey Mallett, creator of the Get Your Body Back exercise video.  Use it three times weekly.

1. Whether jogging, biking, or skipping rope, begin your workout with with a three to five min warm up.
2. Start your first high intensity interval: Increase your effort to 70 to 80 percent of your max ability for one min. You should be able to talk but breathe heavily.
3. Recover at a moderate pace for four min.  Go at a slightly lighter clip than you would for a longer workout, keeping your heart rate elevated.
4. Repeat the process three to four times for a 20 to 25 min workout.
5. Over time, decrease your recovery periods to three min.  When that gets easier, slowly increase your high intensity intervals to two min.

Find additional recipes, workouts, and advice at parents.com/babyweight

Yummy Beverages for Moms

These are shown in the magazine as Nonalcoholic Happy Hour Drinks.  I was curious to see the recipes and they sound very yummy so I decided to share with you.  One that I saw on the Babytalk Magazine October 2009 edition that is not on the site is a Recipe called Cosmopolitan Charade.  This recipe comes from the book titled Zero Proof Cocktails.  Find the book on my Store page, on the 3rd page. 

Here is the Recipe.

• 1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail
• 1/2 cup non sugar added white grape juice
• 2tbsp Rose's Lime Juice
• Ice
• Splash of orange seltzer
• Orange slice for garnish.

It looks really yummy.  The rest of the recipes you can find at Parenting.com .

Let me know which ones you try and you like.  I will do the same. 
Enjoy!!

Tania

Big Thanks

Big Thanks go out to all who voted for Rafi's photo at Parents.com.  His photo finished no.569.  Thanks again.  I will update you once I find out if his photo is one of the 5 semifinalists who will fly to NYC to get his professional photos taken and from those a Cover winner will be selected.

Rafis photo

Pampers Sale This Saturday March 20th ONLY at Babies R Us and Toys R Us

Special One Day Event
They are giving away a $20 gift card to be used at Babies R Us or Toys R Us when you purchase two value boxes of Pampers Diapers with New Dry Max (92-252ct.).
They are also having a Live Dry Max Demo from 12pm to 4pm with FREE Giveaways (while supplies last).

Enjoy!!

Tania

Making Homemade Yogurt

A friend recently asked me for this recipe so I decided to post it here so anyone else can have access to it.I got the instructions from a book Titled Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. Our pediatrician recommended this book when Rafi started eating solids. It has been a huge help. It has recipes and ideas on how to make your own baby food and even ideas for children crafts.
Ok, so here are the steps on how to make homemade yogurt.

1. Sterilize the Milk to kill all the bacteria: Nest a thick, sturdy, heat proof glass jar with the milk into a pot of water on the stove top and bring it to a boil.  Keep a yogurt or candy thermometer submerged in the milk at least 2 inches to watch the temperature.  It should not rise above 185 degrees F.  It should be between 180 and 185 degrees F.  I use the nested glass jar method to save having to clean the large pot plus you can use the large pot of boiled water to sterilize utensils you will use to mix the starter to the sterilized milk later.
2. Cool the Milk to Incubation Temperature - about 112 degrees F:  You can cool it at room temperature or cool it in the refrigerator.  Keep the thermometer submerged and watch the temperature.  It needs to be no higher than 120 degrees F but the closer it stays between 105 and 110 degrees F the better.  In my refrigerator it takes about an hour and five mins to cool down to 112 degrees F.  Keep a spoon in the milk for frequent stirring to evenly distribute the heat.  Optionally, you may add Nonfat Dry Milk Powder at this time to thicken the consistency of the yogurt and add nutritional content.  Add about 1/4 cup powder per quart of cooled milk and mix very well.
3. Add the Starter:  You can use yogurt bought at the store.  Make sure it says it contains live and active cultures.  Make sure the yogurt is not too old.  For each quart of cooled milk, gently fold in about 2 tablespoons of yogurt.  Another starter is freeze dried bacteria culture sold in packets at any natural food store.  This starter is more expensive but also more reliable.
4. Incubate Yogurt and let the Cultures Grow: Cover the yogurt during incubation so it is not open to the air which always contains bacteria.  Use the cover of the jar or use a plastic wrap over the jar.  Keep the yogurt warm during incubation.  The bacteria grows when it is neither too cold or too hot.  Keep the temperature between 105 and 112 degrees F.  I use a hot pot of water on the stove top to keep the yogurt warm.  I keep an eye on the thermometer to make sure the temperature stays right.  Other places the author suggests are Conventional oven, the kitchen sink with warm water half way up the jar, an electric fry pan, a crockpot, a warming tray, a heating pad, a home heating source (like a radiator, wood stove or heating duct), a major appliance (like a TV, stereo, or other electronic equipment), microwave safe neck warmers, an electric commercial yogurt maker, . . . anywhere warm!!  
5. Keep the yogurt still during incubation: Place the jar with the yogurt mixture where it won't be disturbed for a few hours.  It will take several hours for the yogurt to become thick and pudding like.  Anywhere from 4 to 12 hours.  Mine usually takes about 5 or 6 hours.  
6. Refrigerate the finished product:  Cover and refrigerated the finished yogurt for several hours before serving.  The yogurt will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 to 2 weeks.  If you will use some of this batch to make the next one make sure it is no older than 5 to 7 days.  

You will need to experiment a couple of times or more until you get it right.  I had to find the right amount of time to let it cool and the right method to keep it warm.  I tried the new warmer and it didn't work very well for me.  I found that using the hot pot of water works better for me but I had to baby sit it to make sure the water was not too hot.
I hope this helps.  If you need additional information please email me and let me know.  The book has a more detailed explanation.  I gave here what I know works for me.

Have fun!!
Tania 

Planting some Veggies

We decided to try to plant some veggies at home to grow our own. I started with Tomatoes and Peppers. I planted them indoors during late February. Now they are a bit tall but they will get planted outdoors next month. I will post pictures so you can see our home grown veggie garden.
I would like to later add some onions and even some fruits and herbs. I think this will help save some money on produce and if possible we can grow organic produce at home.

Love Your New Mom Body part 2

Here is Part 2 of 3 from Baby Talk Magazine, March 2010 Edition.

New Mom Body Boot Camp

Vote for your Favorite Baby Products

You could win $250 for nominating your favorite baby products.
Go to this website, and under the discussion titles pick which category you would like to nominate products. Click post and you are all set.

Vote for your Fave Baby Products

Thinking about having another child?

I know we are!! We have Rafi but would love to give him a brother or sister. So I found this article to be very helpful in helping us decide when to try for no. 2.

From American Baby Magazine, March 2010 Edition.

When To Have Your Next One

Continue to vote for Rafi

He is no. 700 today!! Please continue to vote for his photo. His ID no. is 162221.

Rafis Photo

Don't forget to vote for Rafi's photo today and everyday

The contest ends on March 14th so please vote!! You have only a few more days.
You can click on the box that reads Search for Photo on the upper right hand corner. Make sure and click search by photo id. His id# is 162221.

Rafis Photo

Vote for Rafi's photo

Rafi's photo was entered into the Cover Baby photo contest on Parents.com. His photo could be selected to appear on Parents Magazine later this year. We could also win a Cover Photo Contest and have to fly to NY to have his professional photo taken which will appear on the cover of the magazine.
Please vote daily for his photo and let everyone you know to please vote too.

Thanks!!

http://photos.parents.com/category/vote/id/6/w/10/y/2010?page=1904

Keep your baby on a routine = keep your baby happy

From American Baby Magazine, March 2010 Edition

This is a 5 step guide to help you keep your baby on a routine. Everything from bedtime, meal time, bath time, etc. is covered.

Hope it is helpful!
Tania
http://www.parents.com/baby/care/newborn/routines-for-a-happy-baby-a-5-step-guide/

Does your child go to day care?

If so, consider going green with your day care center.
From American Baby Magazine, March 2010 Edition
http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/green/how-to-find-a-green-daycare/

Tips for Better Baby Teeth

From American Baby Magazine, December 2009 edition
http://www.parents.com/baby/health/baby-teeth/tips-for-better-baby-teeth/

Enjoy!

Tania

Do's and Don'ts for baby's dry nose

From American Baby Magazine, December 2009 Edition

Do:
Use infant Saline drops and bulb aspirator to clean out the nose and keep nasal passages moist.
Add Moisture to baby's room with a cool mist humidifier. Scrub it out and change the water at least once weekly.
For children 1 and up, dab fragrance free lotion on dry skin around nostrils.

Don't:
Forget to squeeze the air out of the aspirator before using it.
Use a hot water vaporizer as it can scald if it tips over.
Use petroleum jelly inside nostrils. If inhaled, it can be irritating to a child's lungs.


Check Out American Baby Magazine for other awesome articles.

Love your New Mom Body

BabyTalk Magazine has a series of 3 articles with tips and advice for new moms to get healthy and back in shape. The first article came out on the February 2010 issue. The second on the March 2010 issue. You can get them FREE of charge at Babies R Us or you can go to their website and sign up to have them delivered to your home FREE of charge.
http://www.parenting.com/article/Pregnancy/Health--Fitness/Love-Your-New-Mom-Body-1204210992784

If you are interested in the actual article please send me an email or message and I will be happy to scan it and send it your way.

Stay Healthy!!

Tania

Cheap Pamper Diapers thru Diapers.com

http://www.covenanthomemaking.com/2010/03/cheapest-pampers-ever.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CovenantHomemaking+%28Covenant+Homemaking%29&utm_content=FaceBook

Thanks to my dear friend and sister in Christ Mary Jo for sharing this info with us.