Pillsbury Sweet Moments Review and Giveaway August 25, 2010

Recently I was lucky enough to receive a Pillsbury Sweet Moments Prize Pack from MyBlogSpark. Pillsbury Sweet Moments can be found in your grocer’s refridgerator section. They offer two varieties: Bite Size Brownies and Molten Lava Brownies. I chose to try the Sweet Moments Molten Lava Brownies. They come in single-serve bowls and just need to be microwaved for 10-15 seconds. The brownies are topped with carmel and a chocolate drizzle. Can you say…delicious? It was such a “sweet moment” for me when I had a warm fresh brownie in hand in only 15 seconds without the hassle of measuring ingredients, cleaning mixing bowls, and waiting a 45 minute bake time! I was nice enough to share the second single serve brownie with my husband, who also liked it. We both agreed that the brownies were just the perfect size and sweetness we needed after a big dinner with the family. I was provided with a VIP coupon for the Pillsbury Sweet Moments, product information, and a prize pack of chocolatey bath products through Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark. I am offering both a VIP coupon and the prize pack to one of my readers through Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark. In order to enter this giveaway please leave a comment on when you would like to indulge in a “Sweet Moment” and perhaps who you would share your “Sweet Moment” with! A winner will be chosen at random. I will place all names into a hat and have my husband pick a winner from the hat. If you are chosen you will be contacted through an email for your shipping information. This giveaway will end on August 27th at midnight.

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!!! Congratulations to Shirley for winning!

Bye Bye Binkies! August 8, 2010

Yup! That’s right! We are officially binky FREE! At our last pediatrician appointment I asked the dr. what age he suggested we get rid of the binkies. He said he usually suggests by 12 months…and I asked him if it was too early to get rid of it now. He gave me some “cold turkey” advice and said “start tonight”! So, we did! Fauxhawkboy only really used a binky for naps, car rides, and bedtime…so I knew he wasn’t super attached. I figured it would be easier to get rid of now then in three months when he would only be more attached. Not to mention, I selfishly figured I’d rather go through a possible week of hell now, then when I’m back to work! The dr. did advise me that a week of “hell” would ensue! Beginning with the car ride home from our appointment I didn’t give Fauxhawkboy his binky. He was fine…not that I was surprised because it is only about a ten minute ride! That night at bedtime I put him to sleep without it and he didn’t have any trouble falling right to sleep. It was about 45 minutes past his normal bedtime and I think that definitely helped. Day 1 was a huge success…especially for a mommy reluctant to watch her little boy growing up so fast! Day 2 was great until…bedtime! Fauxhawkboy cried for about 20 minutes…which of course seemed like an eternity! We went in to comfort him twice and the third time I gave him a little more formula to soothe him to sleep. It helped and he finally fell asleep. I tried to remind myself that 20 minutes of a struggle in almost 48 hours was a drop in the bucket and the transition was going remarkably well. Day 3 was also a success! Besides waking up earlier than usual he didn’t seem to miss his binky at all. I did put him to sleep a little past his bedtime just to avoid the previous night’s crying. It worked like a charm and he fell right to sleep. Day 4 and 5 were equally successful and he started waking up in the morning at his regular time. I think I can officially say we are binky free! My little boy is growing up!

Photo Contest Winner!!! August 8, 2010

Fauxhawkboy won 1st Place in the July Your Child Today Magazine photo contest. His photo is published in the August 2010 magazine. He won a $60 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. Thank you to everyone that voted!

Summer Fun Days 3-7 August 8, 2010

Summer Fun Day 3: Uncle visit and Pediatrician appointment. Fuuxhawkboy had his 9 month visit right smack in the middle of the afternoon so we hung with his uncle in the morning and he accompanied us to the pediatrician. Fauxhawkboy got a clean bill of health and we headed back to my parents house. We played for a while and had pizza together before heading home.

Summer Fun Day 4: We visited the Philadelphia Zoo. Fauxhawkboy was a great age for the zoo and it was wonderful to watch his face as he searched a scene and then saw his smile appear as he found the animals in the exhibits.  I took photos of each animal/exhibit we saw and put them in a dollar store photo album for him to look at the next day so he could remember our trip!

Summer Fun Day 5: We stopped by Fauxhawkboy’s future childcare center to drop off some paperwork and sneak another peak at his classroom. I’m sure he’ll love playing with all of the other kids…mommy on the other hand will surely have a harder time with the transition! Then I let Fauxhawkboy play in his kiddie pool…two inches of water = hours of fun!

Summer Fun Day 6: We headed to a local spray park to play in the water. Fauxhawksdaddy was anxious to take him there since he was working the first time we visited the spray park. We played in the water for a while and then headed to the playground swings to dry off a bit. Next, it was back to the car to pick up our picnic blanket and lunches. We headed to a shady area in the park and set up our blanket and enjoyed a nice quiet lunch. Fauxhawkboy relaxed with his bottle and re-enegrized for round two! We packed up and then headed to the spray park for a few more minutes before calling it a day!

 

Summer Fun Day 7: We hung with mee-maw and grandpa at their house, did some shopping, played in the kiddie pool, and explored mee-maw’s garden. I couldn’t help this adorable photo-op!

She loves me.She loves me not.She loves me!

31 Days of Summer Fun August 2, 2010

Since I will be going back to work in September I have deemed August the month for 31 Days of Summer Fun! I want to make sure I make the most of my remaining time off with Fauxhawkboy and not have any regrets about our time together. August 1st we went to a local boardwalk with my parents, brother, SIL, niece and nephew. We let all of the kids go on the rides together and they had a blast! Today, we went to Mother Goose Story Time at the library and then headed to Long Beach Island. We walked out to the jetty and let Fauxhawkboy play in a small wading pool of the ocean’s water. Then, we headed back to the car for a quick change of clothes and then hiked up the 217 steps of the Barnegat Lighthouse. First I had Fauxhawkboy in the front carrier, and then Fauxhawksdaddy took over half way up (and down). We enjoyed the view and cool breeze at the top for a few minutes before heading back down 217 steps! Needless to say both mommy and daddy’s legs were shaking by the time we reached the bottom! We were both a little surprised by the shaky legs, especially since Fauxhawksdaddy is an avid runner. We chalked it up to the hot conditions and using different muscles in our legs to go up and down so many stairs in a short period of time!

Imagine That Children’s Museum August 2, 2010

 

Imagine That is a Children’s Museum in Florham Park, NJ. We learned of the museum in the Kidstuff coupon book. It sounded fun so we checked it out online and put it on our “to do” list. The website had a lot of activities listed as well as an exhibit map. We knew Fauxhawkboy was old enough to play in both the music room and art room and decided that was enough to take the trip to the museum. When we got there we were happily surprised that there were a lot more activities for his age group then the website let on. We did visit the art room first. Fauxhawkboy painted a beautiful masterpiece using fingerpaints and a paintbrush. We hung it on a clothesline to dry while we explored the rest of the museum. Next, we explored a block table, funny mirrors, and activity tables. It was all at his level and he was able to stand and hold on while playing with everything. Next, we headed into the music room. Fauxhawkboy loves music! He mimics so many noises that we make including clicking his tongue, growling, rubbing his hand over his lips to make noises, and his latest, whistling! He always likes the musical shakers and bells from library storytimes so it was no surprise that this was his favorite room at the museum. He played drums, a gong, tambourines, bells, shakers, a piano, and more. We even bought him a souvenir tambourine from the gift shop on our way out. What fun! After stirring up quite a racket we explored the rest of the museum. Fauxhawkboy got to ride a motorcycle, fly an airplane, dress up and drive a fire truck, and drive a car! He loved it all. There was a light table, a miniature house, a spaceship, and so much more. It was definitely worth the trip and we will definitely revisit the museum next year as well.

Safari! July 30, 2010

We went to the Safari at Six Flags Great Adventure today. My sister in law took us with my neice and nephew. I was so excited to show Fauxhawkboy the real live versions of the animals we see in books. When we pulled in I took him out of his carseat so he would have a better view. He was so excited to hang out in the car with his cousins and not be strapped into his seat. We saw tons of animals and had a great time. The ostriches were definately a car favorite since they came right up to our windows and started pecking away. It was cute at first and the car-full of us broke into giggles, but after about five minutes of pecking it was time to move on. We all ignored him until he eventually walked away to find another group of  intruders! We finished our safari tour and Fauxhawkboy even got to ride a wild giraffe!

Sprayground July 23, 2010

I took Fauxhawkboy to Sprayground today. We went with a friend of mine and her daughter and had a great time together. It’s so great to see the two of them developing a friendship. Their faces light up when they see each other and they show their affection towards each other in the cutest ways. Of course we were excited to see the two of them at the spray park since they both love the water! As we walked up we could see the somewhat chaotic park and warned each other to look out for the “big kids”. The park is free and open to the public, so naturally it was crowded on this hot day. Lucky for me, Fauxhawkboy isn’t walking yet so I knew he’d be more protected. I took him right to a smaller sprinkler feature and he loved walking through it as I held his fingers. The water was spraying right over his head and dripping down his face but he had the biggest smile! He just wanted to go-go-go! We walked around some of the sprinklers and then I let him sit for a while and splash in the water. It was a little difficult to take pictures since it was inevitable that the camera would wind up soaked! Once water-logged, we went over to the dry playground and found two unoccupied baby swings. We let the two of them swing together for a while and then headed back to the car for a quick snack before heading home. Fauxhawkboy was exhausted after all of the fun and went to bed an hour early!

Funland! July 20, 2010

On our vacation in Rehobeth, DE we took Fauxhawkboy to Funland. I thought he was still too little for the rides, but thanks to the great advice of his 5 year old cousin we decided to check it out! I was surprised by how many rides he was able to go on. First we went on the boats, then the carosel, and lastly the baby ferris wheel! We had a great time and wore Fauxhawkboy out! Here’s a clip of him on the rides!

Tot Time @ Rehobeth Beach Library July 15, 2010

Since Fauxhawkboy loves storytime so much we decided to check out the library on vacation. I  checked it out before we left for our vacation and was happy to find they offered a lot of great child friendly activities. We attended a Tot Time this morning and of course, he just loved it! We started by singing a song that everyone knew, The Wheels on the Bus. It was a big hit. Then the children’s librarian quizzed our pirate knowledge and read us a pirate ABC book. We finished by singing the ABC’s together. Next, she read Caps for Sale and all of the kids just loved those crazy little monkeys who stole the peddler’s caps.

We even pretended to be monkeys! Then it was time for a little movement so we sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes. Here’s a short clip of Fauxhawkboy and I singing and doing the motions.

After we got the wiggles out it was time to follow the leader upstairs to see the children’s theater performance of Robinhood. I was surprised at how attentive Fauxhawkboy was to the performance. He was bending over sideways to try and see the actors as they headed “backstage” for a quick costume change. I think their stage voices and accompanying guitar also helped to hold his attention. It was a great way to start our day before heading to the beach to jump in the waves!