Baby Hair!!

All three of my kids have had crazy hair as babies and it's so much fun. We used to say Nolan at 2-3mo had a Trump comb over. When the crazy politics started this campaign season, I knew my thoughts to make a "Trump Hair, Don't Care" shirt for the kids was over. I wouldn't want to be associated with Trump and his cause. Luckily other policiticans have bad hair too!! Thin, crazy, and long baby hair!!! I present Oliver in his designed by momma, digitized by momma, and stitched by momma shirt!!

Mothers on the Move, Mo+m

I love showcasing baby carriers here on my blog since they are such a huge part of our life. It's even more amazing when I can share one that is both a great priced gateway baby carrier and perfect for seasoned baby wearers who just want one more! I saw the Mo+m carrier and was afraid it was too good to be true so I contacted Mothers on the Move and asked about reviewing it for my readers. I have to say I'm really really impressed!!

As with any hobby, once you get "hooked" you realize the wide variety of prices out there.  Baby carriers are no different. Some are handwoven or machine sewn and not mass produced leading to such differences. It's hard to sell someone, who has never worn their baby but is interested in trying it out, on a $200 baby carrier. That's where Mothers on the Move comes in. Available on Amazon, with Prime shipping even for just $39.95 right now this carrier is definitely in the right price range to be recommended a lot.

I have posted before on my blog about the problems with buying a baby carrier from Amazon. Many times Amazon allows third party vendors to sell items and there is no oversight as to whether the are compliant with US laws. Baby carriers are actually a huge market for knock offs which haven't been tested or rated safe. I feel really passionate about only ever recommending CPSIA, BCIA compliant carriers and Mo+m is both! This carrier is ASTM F2236 - 14 & CPSIA Sec.101 certified and the products have been checked for Cal Prop 65 elements

In addition, when purchased form valid retailers (Amazon is one) there is a lifetime warranty on the carrier. I am sitting here today with a handmade and very expensive baby carrier that started to wear (there's an actual hole!) after very minimal use. I contacted the manufacturer and the response I got today was that it was just cosmetic not structural as only the outer decorative fabric has the wear hole so carrier could be used still. No mention of the fact that poor design led to this issue and now my expensive carrier I planned to still have value for resale once I was finished with it is worthless. Very disappointing and something that wouldn't happen if it also had a warranty.

Now for the fun features of the carrier. I have the Mo+m® Classic Cotton 3 Position Baby Carrier which has a mesh cooling vent, removable hood, and pocket in Navy.  

Here you can see the pocket open. It's large enough when expanded to hold my wallet and cell phone plus a disposable diaper. Game changer!!

Hood has been unsnapped here and is in it's front stash pocket. The large zippered pocket is behind that. 

The mesh cooling vent is open. It doesn't come completely off the carrier so no worries about loosing it but it opens to vent and add circulation to baby's back. 

Here carrier is snapped as it might be when wrong. You can see the chest clip is sturdy and glides along the webbing which keeps it in place. 

inside view of carrier showing mesh area. It's laying on my Lenny Lamb baby size carrier for comparison. It can produce a nice ergonomic seat! 

It's definitely similar in seat size to an ERGObaby carrier and lets you get a proper M-position seating  through infancy up to toddlerhood. It's comfy and great for the wearer too. The hood is perfect in that it's removable which leads to all sorts of fun customizable options too!! I know my Tula hoods are pimped and accessorized and this one is the next I plan to make our own.

Here is Oliver's seat. The base is 12" wide and O gets great support. 

At 14mo Oliver is able to go arms out if he wants or tuck them in for snuggles. 

The Mo+m is rated for babies between 12 lbs and 36 lbs.

If you're nearby and would like to see it in person just send me a message! I love sharing the baby wearing love!

I received this carrier in order to complete my review. No compensation was taken and all opinions are my own. Have a question? Ask away!!

Sunday Suppers

Getting my meal plan published a day early for this week!! We have a busy week with lot sod appointment and plans so early on in the week I need to rely on my crockpot a bunch! Those are handy recipes I have made forever so no real recipe to follow but if you need some help just comment and I'll come up with one.

Monday
     Marinated Baked Chicken with Curried Couscous
Tuesday
    Crockpot Meatball Subs
Wednesday
  Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie
Thursday
  Mexican Black Bean Pasta
Friday
  Roasted Tomatillo Curry with Pita Bread and Hummus

Carseat Safety... again!

If you pay any attention to my posts here or blog posts, you know I am passionate about PROPER carseat usage. That includes keeping your child in the appropriate seat for their age AND size but also using it properly. Unless you've spent time reading your carseat manual and looking at the key items for a proper install there is a high chance your seat is installed incorrectly. Why does that matter? It's physics and engineering. They are designed to save lives when used properly and have been tested to save lives when used properly. Install them properly and it's anyones guess how safe your little one truly is.

Quick facts... if you're going to bug out of this post soon and are assuming you're doing it all correct at least check these out.

• Chest clip needs to be positioned across the sternum lined up with the top of the armpit. Incorrect positioning can cause internal organ damage in an accident!
• Straps need to be tight. Pinch along the top of the straps and if you can get any slack your child isn't secure.
• NO thick coats in carseats. Install your child with their coat on and take the coat off and reinstall if there is any difference in the amount of harness length needed the coat is too bulky to be worn in a carseat. It can compress in an accident leading to ejection.
• Rear face to a MINIMUM of 2yrs old. Bones ossify closer to three and your child is significantly safer rear facing to four and beyond (to the limits of your carseat and high capacity rear facing seats are now easily available).

If the above facts are no brainers for you please still read on.

• Harness strap positioning – When in a rear facing seat the harness shoulder straps should be adjusted so that they come out of the back of the carseat at a position that is at or below your child's shoulders. When forward facing it's opposite and the harness shoulder straps should be adjusted so that they come out of the back of the carseat at a position that is above your child's shoulders. Improperly positioning the harness straps changes the amount of force you child's small body will receive in an accident! That's directly related to how injured they would be.
• Top tether – ALL forward facing carseats should be installed using the included top tether. This affects how much rebound your child's head receives in the case of an accident. 

Additional safety precautions such as placement of any car seat headrests, bracing (touching) against other car chairs, when to use LATCH versus seatbelt (never do both!), guidelines for replacing after an accident, and more is all important, can change by car seat manufacturer and car manufacturer. Even after thoroughly researching car seats I learn more all the time. Please do your research and keep your baby, toddler, preschooler, and child SAFE!!

Check out Car Seats for the Littles for even more great info!!

Healthy Baby Home Party

Many of you have asked in the past how I am lucky enough to get to share fun, healthy finds with my friends. One opportunity you might qualify for is the Seventh Generation Healthy Baby Home Party.

What is a Healthy Baby Home Party? 

Seventh Generation's home parties are powered by people like you who are focused on creating a healthy environment for the next generation. Developed with input from non-profit partner, Healthy Child Healthy World, they are a great way to get together with friends, share helpful information, and make an impact!

Healthy Baby Home Party kits are provided to all selected hosts and are filled with educational info about our environment, helpful tips, a fun game, and samples and coupons from Seventh Generation and other favorite family-friendly brands like bobble, Plum Organics and Zarbee's Naturals.

What is the Application Process?

• Sign up at here to join the Generation Good community, or log in if already a members

If chosen, you'll received free samples in exchange for sharing with your friends! I've submitted my application and hope to get picked again too!

Mealplan Monday

... a day early!! Here's our menu for the week!! Remember you can always modify the recipes to your families needs. Purchase all organic, swap out creamed soups for homemade sauces, spice it up a bit! This is our inspiration, not our exact recipe list.

Monday
   Ham and Cheese Tortellini Bake with Peas

Tuesday
   Cajun Shrimp Casserole 

Wednesday
   Black Bean Quinoa Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday
   Crockpot Beef Stroganoff 

Friday
   Chicken Enchiladas Verdes with refried beans


How do you make your own "Cream of Soups" you may ask. Wellness Mama has a great recipe for one that can be a starting point. I tend to start with onions, garlic, a bit of butter, and fresh milk and go from there.

Chore Tracker

My six year old is in a phase where he asks for lots of items. It's frustrating but many of them are recurring things he gets really obsessed with. Luckily he never got into the craze of watching people open toys on YouTube but instead he watches people build Lego sets. That leads to lots of "I want a set like that," comments. His current love is an Angry Birds set coming out in the spring and it's not just a whim it's something he mentions every single day. In the past, I've always answered we could talk about it when it's Christmastime or your birthday. Now though he knows that's a long ways off and both occur with the 2 months of each other. We don't really buy items or toys throughout the year so we felt it might be time to give him a way to earn some things.

I'm also conflicted when it comes to allowances. Lots of things he needs to do because he's part of the family and we all work together. At the same time though, I want to slowly instill some work ethics and let him work towards a goal. I know if I were to say, "clean the playroom and you can earn $1" it wouldn't just magically happen. Nolan is an amazing help but works best when I have specific tasks I call him for throughout the day. I search Pinterest for ideas and asked friends how to convert this to a reward/chore system.

In the end, I came up with this chore punch card.

It's something we can keep downstairs in the kitchen where we usually work out of and when he's been helpful or asks to earn some money I can simply grab it and punch out a reward afterwards. Our goal is that he can earn a maximum of $5 per week. That means there are 20 punches each worth a quarter. Things he does now that are helpful include bringing down carious loads of laundry, taking out recycling, and cleaning up specific items as I point them out. He's earning just small amounts at a time so he doesn't get an inflated sense of what his efforts are worth and it's small enough that he doesn't have to work for long periods of time and get burnt out. We'll see how it goes and post back in a few weeks!!

Would you like to try out the chore punch card for yourself? It's available for download free here.  Four fit on each standard sheet of paper and I plan to print onto cardstock and laminate!