crazedparent

365 Day 20: I've fallen and I can't get up...

I'd never sprained my ankle before. When I toppled onto the garage floor from a small step, felt my ankle twist and my right foot buckle while a sharp burn went up my leg, I knew something was slightly wrong. What an afternoon.

The boys were intrigued. "What does it mean to sprain your foot?" "Do you have to use crutches?" To the latter, the answer was no and the boys' response was a big, sad "bummer."

Upon seeing me limping, Seven went into full care mode. He took out the first aid kit, wrapped my foot (I cut is as well) and gave it a kiss. When I said I had to snap a photo, he said, "No, Mom, I want to do it."

Those are the moments I need to remember most.

Mother's Day gifts...geeked out

Mother's Day is ten days away. My husband usually asks me how I'd like to spend Mother's Day...sleep in? Brunch? A day at the beach? My response is simple: I don't want to have to do or plan a single thing. My feeble brain simple wants to power down. If it means I have to stay in bed comatose all day for emphasis, well, so be it...

Read the rest at Job-Mom!

Review: Kid K'NEX Undersea Pals and Fun Rides

  As much as we dig LEGO gear in the crazedparent house, Nol has become a big fan of Kid K'NEX construction sets. I jumped at the chance to review two new products: Kid K'NEX Undersea Pals and K'NEX Fun Rides 10 Model Building Set.

K'NEX Undersea Pals is for the 3-5 year-old age range. Nol, 5, quickly assembled new creations. The pieces are bright and large, easy for a preschooler to make the little fish models shown in the product handout. And surprisingly, Q., who is almost 2, loved playing with the final products. Q. also enjoyed taking the pieces out of the carrying case and replacing them. I think the K'NEX Undersea Pals make for a fun gift for the under 5 crowd, particularly those kids that are new to building and are unfamiliar with LEGO gear. The set is easy enough for them to complete sets without much parental assistance. After spending one session with mom or dad, your kid should quickly get the hang of it and be on his or her way to make the various different characters in the handout.

The downside of Undersea Pals? The handout is a double-sided page...easily damaged after a few uses. And if your child has had experience with LEGO kits, he or she could get bored after he completes the first few model ideas.

But the K'NEX Fun Rides 10 Model Building Set rocks. It's for kids ages 5-7 and for Nol, who is pretty advanced on the LEGO front, the K'NEX model set was a complete challenge. In a good way. The kit theme is amusement park rides, so Nol was very excited to make a Ferris Wheel, a Swing and a Merry-Go-Round. The pieces include what they call micro K'NEX, and K'NEX Bricks, which are similar to LEGO bricks. And the pieces are tiny and easy to loose if you're not paying attention to all 172 parts.

The kit comes with an actual handbook, which Nol flipped through and made each and every single model. For a week. Every day after school, he would come home, ask for the kit and be on his building way. Child engrossed in independent play =  happy mama.

What I love about these two kits is that they both come in small carrying cases. Meaning when you're done, you pack it all up and put the kits away. Unlike LEGO kids, which come in cardboard boxes and plastic baggies that get tossed the moment after they are ripped open. That's my biggest peeve with LEGO -- they offer no practical storage for their products. So these K'NEX kids rank high on the mommy clean-up scale with their packaging. I also like that the kits are small, making them easy to pack or take with you on the road.

The other perk? These Kid K'NEX kits are inexpensive. The Underwater Pals set and the Fun Rides set both sell for $US9.99.

Now, if they could only make the handout for the Undersea Pals more durable.

I went to Costco for toilet paper and came home with...

Though I know Costco stocks its shelves differently around the country, most of its "staple" items are consistent from store to store, especially when it comes to baby/kid gear. My two current finds for the parentals and kidlings (only if you need them, of course)...

- Playtex Sippy Cups: Costco is selling 16-oz. 4-packs for $10.99. Normally these puppies cost $4 or $5 for ONE. The "character" motif..."Cars."

-Play-doh Packs: These were marketed as the "alternative" Halloween treat--small containers of Play-doh. You can still pick up a pack of 80 for $9.99. And really, now, can you ever have too much Play-doh? These containters are the perfect size for birthday party favors, Valentine's Day treats, general rainy-day fun and "I need to use the phone for ten minutes" bribes. I also keep one in my purse, along with a pack of tiny art pencils, to pass time while we're waiting for our order at restaurants.

And if you're really a high-roller, buy one of these and send it to crazedparent, will ya? I promise we'll have you over for a playdate.

Go. Go now.

Thoughts on Target diapers and such...

Two random thoughts to share from my latest visit to Target, the mecca of people needing only one $10 item but leaving with a $150 booty.

-Target has its own brand of diapers and wipes now. Both of excellent quality - no leakage on the diapers and the wipes are actually much better than the Costco Kirkland brand. The price comparison between Costco and Target is negligible, which means I can entirely avoid that other mecca of spending too much money. And the diapers? So cute with little Care Bears on them.

-Has anyone else noticed that Target is slowly eliminating any "brand name" items in the baby/infant feeding aisle and replacing them with Target "Circo" copycats? Instead of being able to purchase the Sassy-brand snack bowls or "on-the-go feeding set", you're stuck with a generic version that are less expensive, but are sub-par in the Q.C. department. I'm all about cost savings but not when I have to buy things because the original purchased item broke, leaked or was just overall shit quality. I couldn't even find simple Playtex sippy cups. Is it that I go to a crappy Target? Are they changing their product line?

In summary...Target-branded diapers/wipes = good. Baby/infant "Circo" feeding tems = notsomuch.

Let's make this really simple...

Do you have problems keeping track of your kidling's sippy cups at daycare or the park? If a Sharpie doesn't cut it for you, then the latest issue of Parents magazine includes two revolutionary solutions in its "get organized" section. This shit will knock your socks off.

First, you can order custom, vinyl name tags. Only $18 for 25 stickers (that your kid will peel off before you even leave the house). Not your style? Then strap an orbit band around the drink with the bargain deal of three for $7!

So fine, I have a little purchasing issue with a tiny diaper case. But come on people! Take yourself to Office Depot, buy a pound of thick rubber bands, slap those puppies on your never-to-be-lost sippers, and take the rejected Sharpie to them.

And Parents magazine, shall we just thank them for their amazing content month after month (more on this later). Seriously - the pure ridiculousness of their articles is perfect blog fodder. Because, you  know, we all spend our nights tossing and turning over how to keep our kids' names on their sippy cups.

 

Adios diaper bag...

Now that Q. is a full-fledged toddler, I don't need to carry around as much "stuff." A couple diapers, wipes, Purell, some snacks and we're good to go. I'm thrilled to relinquish the big diaper bag...it's lovely and I use it from time to time, but I'm ready for a real purse. Yet, I still have a thing for little satchels and other non-essential products I can use to stash toddler-related items. Love them.

My latest want: a small diaper pouch by 2redhens. I'm more tom-boy than girly girl, but this little pouch is extremely cute. And I find myself clicking "purchase" completely guilt free because a portion of the $22 sale goes to cervical cancer research (at least that's what I keep repeating to myself to avoid the guilt).

What baby gear/kid gear products do you fall for?