Small Feet, Big Style.

Can anybody tell me what I love most about dressing up the kids? If you mentioned shoes, you know me all too well. I know I talk about shoes, and ideal shoes, and shoes that work for us all too frequently, but you know I love love love shoes. Girls shoes WAY more than boys shoes, but I try to keep my mind open.
The girls are currently sporting new Vincent shoes. I'm totally in love with both pairs of them... We have the Maja which is a perfect shoe for pretty much any occasion. It has the rugged look for a run in the park, but the prettiness for a dress at church. It's a really versatile shoe. I do have one small negative about it, the toe has a rubber pad on it. I think this was for kids who drag their toes and thereby make holes in their shoes? Not really too sure. For my kids, it caused them to trip a bit more often than usual. I thought it was just Lilley at first, but then I switched shoes and sure enough, down went Noelle. I didn't have enough of a problem with it to remove them altogether, and I also noticed that the girls seemed to adapt well to the shoe. So it didn't really bother them. Overall, it is a super adorable shoe, and I would love to have it in every color.
The second pair that we have is the Svante. Oh my! Holy Cuteness! This shoe is delightful! I so wish that I had gotten two pairs of this shoe... I adore it! Of course, it's not nearly as versatile as the Maja, but it's not all about the versatility. I'm not always looking for a shoe that the kids can wear to church. Honestly because more often than not, we're NOT in church. We're more often on the playground, outside running, doing fun things... I love shoes that make my life easier. These shoes are totally easy. The velcro on the strap is really full encompassing, and very sturdy too. In fact they are SO great that on Sunday, I was watching Lilley zoom down a slide at a friends house and I was thinking to myself that I should have taken pictures of her in the shoes before they got all muddy... But my friend had a good point, isn't a dirty shoe a better example of a shoe that's well loved? I must say she's right. The shoes look very loved, and they are!! I love the pattern, and really wish that Vincent offered another more girly pattern to accompany our pink flamingos...
Hands down, Vincent is still the place to be for shoes of all types and sizes... And speaking of sizes, they have the most nifty sizing chart that you can print out at home! It was totally accurate and super easy... I love accurate and easy.
*****
For all of you who are new to the Vincent line, and would like to give it a whirl... enjoy 20% off using the coupon code SPRING-DEAL-8; this code is valid for all full-price item purchases at www.VincentShoeStore.us through April 30, 2008.
*****
This review was brought to you courtesy of Parent Bloggers Network.

Poop Is My Life.

...Really it is. I've got the sticker to prove it. I live my life moving from child to child routinely asking, do you smell that? Do you have poop? Lilley/Noelle/Evan/Jack/Will did you poop? To which they always reply no. ALWAYS.
If I'm lucky, they really don't have poop. Usually though, they do. I felt pretty cool yesterday while answering a call on speakerphone and cleaning up a dirty diaper on child number five. It was all pretty routine really.
What throws me into a bit of a tailspin however is when somebody has sat in a diaper, for too long. I would like to say that my kids inherited my fair skin, but it's really a toss up, Jon is just as fair as I am. So the kids were really out of luck from the get-go... When Parent Bloggers Network asked me to take a peek at some Diaper Goop to help combat diaper rashes... I figured I had nothing to lose. I have a few creams and ointments that I rely on for rashes but none that I'll sell my soul for.
When the Diaper Goop arrived I was intrigued. First thing that I loved, was that it comes in a tub. I love a tub. LOVE IT. I hate having to squeeze stuff out of a tube, I'm weird like that. I feel like I can really get my money's worth out of a tub of something, where I can scrape the sides clean... I love a tub. Next thing that I enjoyed was the cream itself. It's lanolin based. I love lanolin... After breastfeeding 5 kids, I have a real bond with lanolin. It did things for me that no other things could... It's also so multi purpose! So after really liking the goop for the purpose it was intended for, I found that it was also good on the cracked noses, chapped lips and hands, and all those other red irritated areas on my kids bodies.
Ok...So the bottom line. I like it. I'd buy it again. I'd recommend it to a friend. AND it comes in a tub, which is a major plus... Did I already cover that?

Relish!

If there’s one thing that I love more than my family, it’s cooking for my family. I love making a meal that makes my husband smile… After all he’s the one bringing home the proverbial bacon, the least I can do is cook it up for him right? Unfortunately for me there’s only so many days in the week, and hours in the day to plan these things. I typically find myself designing a weekly menu around tried and true favorites that I know will please us all. Sometimes though, even the tried and true…get old. So when Parent Bloggers Network offered up a two month free trial of Relish! I jumped at the chance. After a bit of research I found out that Relish! is an online menu planning service. According to their website “We dish out everything you need to prepare distinct, creative dinners, every night, with ease. Relish! serves up affordable meal planning and we supply all of the essentials from easy-to-follow grocery shopping lists to customized menu selections.”

I was eager to get my account started and take a look around…What I found was mesmerizing. A myriad of new recipes, tantalizing ingredients, and even shopping lists to make my grueling trips to the grocery store a little easier on me. The layout is fairly simple; You have a number of different options, you can choose something as simple as the Express Menu, where 5 delicious meals are preselected for you. Ranging all the way to a Kid Friendly, Dinner & a Movie combo, where all of the food is themed with the movie du jour. I was immediately enamored by the slow cooker section, I’m constantly on the prowl for new and delicious selections for our crock pot. Relish! was able to add a few faves to our repertoire.

One of the problems that I had with this service, was that the meals were almost a bit too good! If that’s even possible… Jon has really simple tastes, he’s your true meat and potatoes kind of guy. So offering him Chicken Breasts stuffed with tomatoes, artichokes and goat cheese, along with a side of couscous? It’s one of the few times that Jon has laughed at me. Unfortunately I did have a bit of a difficult time finding recipes that I thought would be crowd pleasers. I was able to tweak some of them, and make them my own, but that’s beside the point…

So would I pay the $7 a month fee for the Relish! service? Probably not… But not because I didn’t like it. In fact I really enjoyed what it was all about, I just really needed something more simplified… Less cloth napkin, more plastic fork, know what I mean? But the ideas behind the service were great, I’m looking forward to the upcoming weeks that I still have left, and for all of you that are interested? There’s a free trial available on their website, you should go check it out!

Clean It Up!

So, I'm going to break some news to all of you...I don't want you to be alarmed or unnerved by this piece of information, OK?
::Clearing My Throat::
Hi. My name is Jessica. I'm a Germaphobe. I am terrified of germs, infections, and bateria invading my body and my families bodies.
Phew! There I said it, I feel a lot better now... I'm sure there are others out there just like me. Folks who refuse to touch door handles, tote hand sanitizer by the gallon, and rarely allow their children to play on public play areas. Needless to say, I'm constantly on the prowl for the perfect products to keep my family safe. With five kids under the age of three, one of whom is in preschool, and just for giggles let's throw in a husband with cancer whose immune system is compromised. HA! Lo & behold, Cleanwell Products came up with a wonderful way to keep my family happy, healthy and smelling good too! Their line of antibacterial soaps were sent to me by Parent Bloggers Network, I was intrigued immediately by the lovely aesthetic bottle. Its sleek design and pretty color looked nice on every sink in my home. The company sent all three of their scents, Orange Vanilla, Lavender Absolute, & Ginger Bergamot. Initially the scent was a bit confusing, we were trying to pinpoint exactly what it was we were smelling... It ended up being the mixture of all of the essential oils, but most prominently the Thyme. It had a very peculiar way of lingering on the skin, we all became quite used to it, but it did take a day or two.
I am absolutely enamored with the way Cleanwell has managed to make this product so friendly, not only to the environment, but to our family as well. There is not a trace of Triclosan in this product. If you pick up any household anti bacterial agent, the likely active ingredient is Triclosan. Cleanwell boasts the use of their own anti bacterial agent called Ingenium. According to the Cleanwell website "Ingenium is the only all natural antimicrobial that meets EPA & FDA standards for germ killing efficacy". "It contains no alcohol, and no harsh chemicals..." It seems to be the obvious choice.
They also have a line of sanitizing sprays that are the cat's meow... Know why? Because they're safe for my kiddos to use. I really didn't like using any of the other brands of anti bacterial products on their little hands. Especially knowing that those fingers were going directly into their mouths... I never knew which was worse, the chemical, or the germs! Now I no longer have to choose! What's even better about the product is that it's now available at my local Target stores. Run out, buy some... Stay healthy during this flu season!

Not Just Any Baby...That Baby!

Thank you Rob & Lisi Wolf. You've saved Me. You've saved me from a lifetime of singing the same inanely repetitive songs over and over and OVER again my head. If I hear Brandy singing that opening song to the Elmo video one more time... gah. So you can understand that a new DVD and CD brimming with music that isn't tinny and over the top silly, made me insanely happy. Truth be told, I didn't get my hopes up... When Parent Bloggers Network approached me to review this DVD/CD combo, I figured "eh, what have I got to lose". However, after I received the That Baby DVD & That Baby CD, I could see that it was different... Based on packaging alone I was impressed, my kids were too! But what really got me, was the awe struck look on ALL FIVE of my children's faces as the DVD spun it's magic web of gloriousness across my playroom. After the That Baby DVD was done playing, the kids literally begged for more... Dancing around the room, they fell in love with the music, and took both Jon and I with them. We as parents are constantly submerged in the shows & music that our kids are enjoying, but it's rare when we too are enjoying it with them. I found myself slipping the CD into the car CD player, long after the kids were out of the minivan... Was I ashamed? Not at all. This is the most family friendly music I've been introduced to in a very long time, and I can't thank PBN enough for sharing it with us.
You too can experience the wonder that is the That Baby DVD & That Baby CD... In my opinion a perfect gift for the holidays. You can buy the DVD for $24.95, the CD for $14.95, or the CD/DVD Set for $34.90 (you save $5). Plus, with orders over $25, you get free shipping and you can save an additional 20% off your purchase when you order here and use code PBN. This knocks the whole kit-n-kaboodle down to under $28!! Also, just to show you how family friendly this company is... They will replace your CD or DVD anytime, for any reason, no questions asked. How many times have you heard that from your kids DVD company? I'm pretty sure I've never heard it...
Run, don't walk people!

**Edited To Add**
I also came across the trailer for the release of the DVD. It showcases some really neat parts of the DVD, as well as highlights some of the wonderful music that you can experience through this DVD. Click on this link, and go check it out!!

The Great Diaper Debate

So... Here we are, the triplets are now almost 2.5 years old. They are unfortunately still all in diapers and no closer to being potty trained than they were the day they were born. I've also got the girls, also in diapers. 5 babes in diapers. An average of 25 diapers a day. 5 per child. Gah... Too much.
So I was pinching pennies the other day, and trying to figure out just how I could save another buck or two on this diaper fiasco. I remembered back in the day when the boys were itty bitty, I was a real diaper snob. I wouldn't even look at a pack of diapers if it wasn't a Pampers brand Swaddler. I moved on up into the world of cruisers, very begrudgingly, but learned to love them as well. But if someone offered me a Huggies, Luvs, or White Cloud Diaper I would snub my nose very gently at them. I just wasn't one of those girls... I was a Pampers kind of Momma...
The girls came along, and Jon and I decided that there would be no other brand than Pampers touching the girls bottoms... After a few months, I noticed that the Pampers Baby Drys were on sale at a much lower price, and that they now offered stretchy sides... I thought how bad could they be? I tried them, loved them, and haven't gone back... I've justified my change as "staying within the Pampers Family"... I'm crazy.
Recently I found out that I would be saving .08 per diaper if I tried Luvs. Luvs, with their Blues Clues characters on the waistband... What would the trio do without their familiar Sesame Street Characters on the waistband? Who would Will play peek-a-boo with? Certainly not Blue, he had never seen him before...I figured what did I have to lose? I chanced soiling a pair of pants (or three) and sulking back to my tried and true brand. So I smuggled a pack of size 6's into my cart and paid a mere $7.99 for it at my local Target store. Getting home I felt like I had to explain myself to the family. "I know, I know, but they were on sale, and they look so soft...and..." I was met with a lot of stares and looks of disbelief, especially from Jon. I think he felt betrayed. That night we opened the package together, I pulled one out, looked at the specimen, and was actually impressed. It was thin, "far too thin to hold our kids pee" Jon quipped. It wasn't crunchy "crunchy means absorbant" Jon shot at me. I was starting to feel a little defensive over these little Luvs. Afterall they were cute...And soft...And not crunchy.
Trying them out, we've been more than pleased. They are really giving Pampers a run for their money... quite literally. We've been using them now for about a month and a half, and they've contained quite their share. They've leaked on occasion at night, but not near like the Pampers brand did. We've yet to have a "blowout" that they couldn't contain. And most importantly, nobody's skin is reacting poorly to the change.
My thought is this... When the babies are small, the mess is hard to contain. We're new at parenting (and diapering) and the messes are difficult. We find one brand that works for us, and we stick with it. We think that it's the miracle brand. But really, its just that we as parents finally got into a groove, just as that diaper was introduced. Now, this is only my theory. What do I know? I'm just saying... If can save you all $8 on a case of diapers, without using a coupon... It's worth a shot, right? Right. :)

The Shoes Have It All!

I really don’t think that anyone loves a good pair of baby shoes more than me. When I was approached by The Parent Blogger Network to take a quick peek at a spiffy line of baby shoes, I nearly threw myself through my computer screen. After peeling myself from my laptop, I eagerly sat by my mailbox, and then nearly attacked our innocent UPS carrier about a week later.

Tearing open the Vincent Shoes box with reckless abandon, I was graced with two pairs of the cutest shoes ever. I’ve been a fan of Robeez, as well as a great lover of the Pediped, but these seemed different. Aside from the bare bones packaging, I was pleased with what I saw. I chose two pairs of the Mini Betty shoes, one in Purple, one in Pink. Unfortunately the girls were sleeping when my package arrived, but after seeing the shoes in person, I nearly woke them up just to slip them on…

The first thing I noticed about these gorgeous shoes was the awesome craftsmanship. They were made of wonderfully soft buttery leather, not too stiff… A very supple, and lovely early walking shoe. The second thing I noticed and fell in love with immediately, was that the shoes are lined with a light terry cloth fabric. I thought this was an ingenious idea. I had noticed in the past after slipping off other shoes, that the girls’ feet seemed damp, I assumed from the lack of breathability in their current shoes. This was a fabulous idea. I also didn’t feel it completely necessary to have a sock on with this particular shoe because of the terry lining.

The girls were almost as smitten with their shoes as I was. On first step they had no issues with tripping over the toes (which I’ve had problems with in our Robeez shoes). After wearing them for quite a few hours, I took the shoes off to examine for rub marks. I was so pleased that even without a sock, the girls didn’t have a single rub mark or obvious area of discomfort! When the girls tried to take their shoes off, they were faced with a very strong line of Velcro that didn’t simply attach on the one side; it was a full-length piece of Velcro. This is something I surely appreciated, we have issues often with the girls throwing a fit and trying to rip their shoes off… No can do with our new Vincent Shoes.

Long story short, I love them, I’d buy them, and truthfully I don’t think any babies or childs wardrobe is complete without them. So There.

Now…How cool is it that PBN is giving all of you, my readers, the opportunity to win some of your very own shoes! Two lucky winners will win a $50 gift certificate to Vincent Shoes! Just leave a comment here and let PBN & Vincent Shoes know which shoe is your favorite! (It doesn't need to be a prewalker style, and since Vincent makes shoes for newborn to 3 years old, you'll surely find something for all the little ones in your family!) Winners will be selected on 11/1 at random.

But!! If you simply cannot wait, and think your possibility of winning is slim, you can also go ahead, order your shoes online, and use the coupon OCT-20-OFF and receive 20% off anything in the shop! This coupon is only good until 11/11/07, so act quickly!

Happy Shopping!