Stroller made of Gold?

Strollers seem like a pretty easy purchase, until you need a larger one than normal.  Ellie has the longest legs a girl could have for her age I swear!!!  It is impossible to go some places without her being in a stroller.  She doesn't have the understanding to stay by us, or to not touch everything.  When Alex has sporting events, or cub scout meetings, it is essential that she be seated and not running around like a little lost puppy dog.  Her Walmart stroller has served us well, but just like all the regular strollers it is only so big, and only holds up to 40 lbs (Ellie is 38 lbs).  Her long toddler leggys reach right down into the wheels. Exhibit A:

I began to search around for something bigger.  Of course the bigger the stroller the more expensive, plus larger strollers are only made for special needs kids.  There are many moms who recommend a number of different large strollers, but the dollar signs just kept ringing in my ears.  Here's an example of a great one, holds up to 90 lbs (that could last through elementary school), and extra support padding for that low muscle tone issue...but yo...check that number...$5495. Exhibit B:

I wasn't settling with that, I kept looking and didn't want to compromise on any of the features but was no way dropping 5K on a stroller, what the heck is that thing made of, gold?  So after reading the manuals of a few dozen strollers, here's what I found!! It is the Special Tomato EIO Pushchair (same features, holds up to 90 lbs, has little side pillows for support, plus all the bells and whistles of a nice stroller) and the price I paid for it, drum roll please...RLRLRLRL...$474 (on sale I might add, originally $822).  Moral of the story - research the "other SH word" out of something you really want.  Finally, Exhibit C, Ellie's new stroller:

Leg support kicks up for relaxing, and the back reclines all the way for naps or diaper changes, yippee.

Don't say the "S"-"H" word

I have to tell a story from the other week.  Alex is a cub scout and they meet with their pack/den a few times a month.  The last meeting they had they talked about manners and how to be a good scout.  They had to write them on the board, and Alex decided that - not saying bad words was a part of our good manners.  However, the way he expressed this was, "don't say the S-H word".  The other parents eyes looked a bit big and surprised.  So I asked Alex after the scout meeting, where did he hear the "S"-"H" word?  And he says, he said it before and we've yelled at him...hmmm...no I don't remember that!! So I asked him what word exactly did he say that got him in trouble before?  He made me promise I wouldn't yell at him for saying it, and I promised.  He said, "it's the word, SHut-up".  Oh my gosh, I couldn't help but hold back laughter.  Tisk, tisk on us adults - even when things look like exactly what we think...we could most certainly be wrong.  And geez, poor Alex, it can be tough to be a six year old!

UBend-It

I realized that this year my baby Ellie will be a 4 year old, and it dawned on me that I still haven't had success with her and silverware!  It is trial and error when it comes to this sort of stuff.  I've tried every brand of kids utensils, but the problem there is the weight.  Ellie has low muscle tone and a hard time sensing what she's doing with her muscles.  I see it like this - when Ellie holds something in her hand, to her it is like she's wearing thick gloves.  So imagine wearing some huge P. Diddy Eskimo gloves and trying to eat with a spoon that feels like a feather...really, who can do that!?!  So then we moved on from plastic kids utensils last year to regular silverware (heavier) but the length caused problems with her ability to get the end into her mouth.  She can't turn her wrist inward enough.  Well low and behold....my hours of research has it's benefits....I found this company called Ableware, and they make UBend-It utensils.  VERY cool...it is heavy enough for her to sense, plus it has a nice HUGE handle to grip, not just a little straw of a handle, and it can bend to either direction or degree needed to help when turning the wrist inward.  I am really voting for year 4 to be our year of success with this can of worms.  I think this utensil will give her just what she needs to be able to eat independently with silverware WOOT WOOT!!. Who knew a fork could get me so PUMPED!!!

It's hard to see the actual angle of the bent part of the fork...here's Alex, my awesome lil' sidekick, showing us how it looks.

Wanted: More Energy?

My poor kids have been sick with one thing or another this week.  They usually get over stuff pretty fast, but the domino effect is going on over here.  Ellie didn't feel well with coughing and a low-grade fever on Tuesday.  Wednesday Alex had tummy issues - possibly the amount of little heart candies he consumed :-(  But that assumption was likely wrong because then Thursday I get a call from Ellie's school and she's sent home with diarrhea.  Today, Alex seems fine, but Ellie is a complete river of snot....uggghhhh! When will the cooties take vacation already!

So this week my energy level has gone cliff diving.  My normal energy level is great though, probably because I am a vitamin junkie.  It has taken me a while to figure out the right blend of what helps me most.  If you feel low on energy consider some supplements....they really kick butt!  Here's my daily vitamins:

 

The pink one is a general multivitamin, the green is collagen (supports connective tissue, aids in skin repair....hey at least it ain't botox), the little white one is pro-biotic (yes I am admitting to a healthy colon), other white one is chromium (not usually needed unless diabetic, it drops the blood sugar level, but I realized I have hyperglycemia tendencies).  Two large yellows are fish oil (used for heart, nerve and mental health).  When the digestive system, heart, nerves, and mind are getting everything they need, then your body feels much more energetic.  So come on take some pills!  Just do your research first, you don't need poison control coming to the rescue.

Keekaroo

So let me think, what is it that I really want to blog about right now….well I'm a total quasi-solicitor. What am I soliciting?  Anything AWESOME!!! Since the kiddos just finished dinner - tonight I'm braggin about Ellie's awesome high chair.  If you haven’t heard of Keekaroo…you are about to.  I don’t normally like spending more money than I need to, but when it comes to something that is going to last me or the kids a long time, then it's absolutely worth it.  Ellie was in need of a high chair, since she outgrew her last two.  I didn’t want plastic this time (that's right Graco I said it), and I didn’t want something she would outgrow again soon.  I found the Keekaroo Height Right High Chair, and it is PERRRFECT.  Check out this photo from their website www.keekaroo.com:

 This high chair has everything Ellie needed.  The seat moves up, down, forward, and back.  Same goes for the foot rest.  The weight limit is 250 lbs, WHAT!!!, yes that's right, I almost fell out my rocker (wait I don't use a rocker).  It has different things you can add depending on your needs.  This chair was SOOO what Ellie needed, and guess what....THANK YOU Keekaroo, I will never need to buy another child high chair again, phew!

Back to the blog!

Hello everyone!  I've had several different blogs in the past, and none of them made the cut!  I'm excited about this new format and hopefully we can keep updates here for you to check out!  Here are some pictures from past blogs....didn't want to forget these oldies!!

 

 Forget expensive flashy toys, 2 boxes & voilà ...a fort.