Here you go!

Recently I was lucky enough to receive an Oh Plah! for review and I LOVE it! Are you wondering what on earth an Oh Plah! is? Oh Plah! (a french term for "here you go") is a teething cuff/bracelet for mom to wear made of medical grade thermoplastic that is phthalates, BPA and heavy metal free. It meets or exceeds all current safety standards for both the US and Canada so it's completely safe for for all babes and kids. Thermoplastic was a fantastic choice to make these bracelets out of because it is a recyclable material that won't loose it's shape over time or change, it will always looks the same as the day you got it. You cannot put your Oh Plah! in the dishwasher or boil it but it is bacteria resistant and all it will ever need is a quick wash in the sink with soap and water if you feel the need. You can freeze it though if you need something cool for baby to chew. My Oh Plah! is a wonderful hot pink (my favorite color!) with a flower; there are 6 different colors to choose from with 3 different designs. The Oh Plah! is very light and comfortable as a bracelet, it really could be dressed up or down. Baby K took to it right away and happily chewed away at it as soon as I gave it to him, even preschooler L loved playing with it and happily twisted and turned it and even wore it for a while too. I've only had the Oh Plah! for a short while but it's already come in handy keeping either K or L happy in public more than once. I really like how simple it is to pull off my bracelet and pass it to an unhappy babe or child in the backseat while I am driving without having to dig through my diaper bag and take my eyes off the road. Also because it is a one size fits all bracelet I find it hard too loose and it often winds up on K's wrist instead of the floor so it's easy to retrieve and give back to him. Not only is the Oh Plah! a beautiful and convenient teether/toy but the packaging is great also. The Oh Plah! comes in a cute little chinese style take out box surrounded by pretty crinkled paper strips. The outer packaging is a sheet of card stock like paper containing the name and info about the product but it slips off and turns around and on the other side is a gorgeous wrapping paper design making the Oh Plah! instantly gift-able. The packaging is also entirely recyclable. When you are done with Oh Plah! you can pass it off to a friend or send it back to Roundhouse (the makers of Oh Plah!) to be recycled, they will even pay your shipping.



Oh Plah! retails for $20US see here for a list of retailers in the US or the contact info for TDM Canada (Canadian Distributor) for an up to date list of Canadian retailers.

Clean with the power of green

Recently we've been using Sunlight Green Clean laundry soap and I love it! It works just as well as our regular laundry soap (Tide Free) but Green Clean contains plant based ingredients and is biodegradable. It's also super concentrated so it uses up to 40% less packaging, 25% less water in the manufacturing process, 27% less corrugate and 40% less diesel. So not only is is a green product but it was made green too. I have always been the type to use less soap than the package tells you so I was surprised by the small amount of soap required for a load with this new product. Sunlight Green Clean come in 4 scents; Citrus Fresh, Wild Lavender, Orchid Blossom and Free and Clear. It also comes in two sizes 946ml (32 loads) and 2.83L (96 loads). I tried out the Free and Clear 946ml, I am not big on scented laundry detergents I like my clothes to come out smelling clean and not like soap and they do with Green Clean. Green Clean is specially formulated for HE front loaders but can still be used in top loaders. The formula was created specifically for sensitive skin so it contains no drying alcohol, dyes, fragrances or enzymes, this also makes it a fabulous laundry soap for babies things as well. As a mom this is great as I want to use and buy only one laundry soap for everyone and everything in my household and you can with this soap.

Sunlight Green Clean laundry soap retails for $6.97CAD and can be purchased in both US and Canada at your local Walmart or most local grocery stores. Canadians can also score a $2 off coupon here.

When you want a fresh dishwasher

Before we redid our kitchen and bought a new dishwasher our old one stunk, literally. It had a foul odor lingering of old food I suppose that had somehow made it in and a funkyness that I can only assume was from water sitting inside it closed. I was thrilled to get a new dishwasher and even more excited when I found out about Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner. When you use Affresh once a month it eliminates odor-causing residue and prevents new ones from forming. Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner contains large dishwasher tabs that you run through your washer empty; one in the soap tray and one either in the extra soap tray or bottom of the dishwasher. Just insert the tabs and run on the hottest and heaviest setting and voila a clean smelling dishwasher. Because our dishwasher is brand new we had to wait a bit before we could try out Affresh but once I noticed a funk arising I happily ran an empty load with Affresh. Upon opening the dishwasher door a lemony scent filled the air, C didn't like the smell but I don't mind it. It also comes back a little with later loads. My only complaint would be that we can no longer put our Klean Kanteen's in the dishwasher, the first few times I used my insulted KK coffee mug at Starbucks I was sure they had screwed up my order and even after them remaking it my drink still tasted funny. After a few days I figured it out. Somehow the stainless steel was leaching the scent from the Affresh tabs, which have a pleasant smell but not a pleasant taste. So now we wash our KK by hand, our other dishes seem fine and were not affected by the scent. Overall this is a great product and much needed if you use your dishwasher a lot. I am a bit annoyed that I can't wash our KK's in the dishwasher now as we do have quite a few for every member in our household but I guess it's a small price to pay for a funk-free dishwasher.

Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner comes in a package of 6 tabs for a 3 months supply and retails for $8.99CAD, it can be purchased from any of the following retailers listed here.

HAAPY CANADA DAY!!

Wen you need to wash your hair

When I was offered the chance to try out Wen's Cleansing Conditioner I was excited. Wen's Cleansing Conditioner was created by Los Angeles based, celebrity stylist Chaz Dean. Wen is a revolutionary new product that combines shampoo, conditioner, deep-conditioner, detangler and leave-in conditioner but without all the harsh damaging ingredients found in regular shampoo. It claims to leave your hair more healthy, shiny and less frizzy. My first time using Wen proved that it's always important to read instructions on new products, even shampoo's. I, being a firm believer in using a dime sized amount in bathroom products, was blown away by the amount of shampoo I needed to put in my hair but no matter how much I put in my shampoo did not lather? After a quick read of the instructions and a very conveniently timed infomercial I learned that is is normal to use up to 16 pumps or more of Wen (the more the better), depending on hair length and thickness and that it is not supposed to lather, it is in fact the same harsh chemicals in shampoo that cause it too lather. Wen is scented in a sweet almond mint which although I hate mint, it smells very fresh and seems to help waken you up in that first morning shower. The first week with Wen was great, my hair was less frizzy, more shiny and even more manageable but after that week my hair just seemed to get more greasy. I really wanted to like Wen, I liked the idea a lot and loved the results I saw on the infomercial and online but unfortunately for me my hair didn't seem to like Wen. I gave the cleansing conditioner a few different tries but every time I reached the 2-3 week mark I HAD to breakdown and wash my hair with regular shampoo, my hair was just so gross. Around that mark my hair just started to get weighted down at the top and my roots and bangs got very greasy looking. My hair is very thick and I have a lot of it so I'm not sure if this is why I couldn't get Wen to work for me but sadly it's just a no go for me for everyday use but for every once in a while or even as a leave in conditioner on my ends though it is ok. I plan to try it out on L next so I'll let you know if I get better results on his hair.

If you'd like to try out Wen for yourself you can purchase a 30 day kit from their online website for only $29.95US/CAD, there is a both US and Canada site. The kit includes Wen's Cleansing Conditioner, Styling Creme and ReMoist Intensive Hair Repair Mask, if you order now you'll also receive 2 free bonus items; Wen's Texture Balm and Wide Tooth Shower Comb. (please note that we have only tested out the Cleansing Conditioner) Wen also has a 60 day money back guarantee.

Wear your love for all to see

Before L and K I used to wear a lot of jewelry, I mean a lot. I really embraced the whole gypsy, big jewelry look and really decked myself all out maybe even a little too much at times. But then I had L and my busy jewelry days were behind me. Now that L is older and K is still young I have started wearing jewelry again but nothing too busy. I used to wear my "mama" tag and my favorite starfish necklace that teen C bought me for Mother's Day a couple of years back but I recently traded them in for a sweet deal I found on Baby Half Off. Baby Half Off is similar to Babysteals and Kidsteals if you are familiar with them, they offer a product (or a few products) a day at a highly discounted price until they are sold out. Recently Baby Half Off featured jewelry by StephieMc Designs. StephieMc Designs has a gorgeous line of handmade personalized hand stamped jewelry and her work is nothing less than gorgeous. Personalized jewelry is very big right now especially for mamas sporting their children's names. StephieMc has quite a few different styles which makes choosing one very difficult but because I am not sure if I am done having kids I knew that I need an option that I could add another name to later just in case. I ended up ordering her extra tiny tags that are normally used for adding to an existing necklace. Tiny Tags are sweet little sterling silver tags are hand cut, hand filed and shaped, hand stamped and brushed to a satin finish. The edges of each tag have been gently hammered to add texture. I was able to order 3 tags for a great price of $5 each, with shipping my order was only around $20. I bought a tag for each C, L and K and used an existing chain I already had. I cannot tell you how pleased I am with my tags. They are beautiful and well made and I get compliments on them almost every time I leave my house. I love the simplicity of the tags and because they are so small and simple I can wear them all the time and not worry too much about them hurting baby K when I am holding him close. Since the day my tags have arrived I have not taken them off even in the shower and they show no signs of wear, they are definitely top quality.

If you would like to get your own personalized little treasure be sure to check out StephieMc Designs on Etsy, she ships to both US and Canada. Please note that the tags I bought from BHO can only be purchased in her shop with an additional purchase and each tag retails for $10 each.

The Grill Daddy for your daddy

Grilling season is here and every daddy LOVES to grill, it's like caveman instinct to them to start fire and cook food. Whether you are looking for a belated Father's Day git or just want to show some love to that special fire seeking guy in your life the Grill Daddy fits the bill. The Daddy is in love with his barbeque, he loves it so much he even bbq's in the winter long after he should have packed away his tongs. One painstaking task has always been cleaning the grill and we are always buying different brushes and cleaners trying out new ones or just needing to replace ones that didn't hold up well or make the cut. The Grill Daddy is a fantastic grill cleaner, you preheat your grill and the Grill Daddy cleans and sanitizes your grill through the power of steam! What makes the grill daddy different from other grill cleaners the daddy has tried is the built in water reservoir to help steam your grill clean and cuts your regular cleaning time down too. It also comes with stainless steel brush heads that are easily removable and also dishwasher safe. This is definitely a step up from the run of the mill grill cleaners sold at local stores.
The Grill Daddy retails for $19.95US and can be purchased online here, they ship to both US and Canada.

Happy Father's Day!!

Music for your growing belly

Bonding with your baby is important and it doesn't have to begin at birth, it can begin while baby is still in utero. While I was still pregnant with K I loved the Bellysonic for just this reason. The Bellysonic is a lightweight organic sherpa cotton stereo speaker pouch, it has two low output headphone apeakers, detachable headphone splitter, adjustable strap and is made in the USA. Using my own mp3 player (Ipod Shuffle) the Bellysonic strapped to my belly and played my music to baby K through the small headphone speakers aimed at my belly while I listened with my headphones. The Bellysonic is extremely comfortable and can be worn over or under your clothing, It's also machine washable if you remove the inner workings. I wasn't the only one who loved the Bellysonic though, so did toddler L. He was able to listen along with baby K with his own kid friendly Leap Frog headphones and he really enjoyed his special bonding time with his soon to be baby brother. I really liked that you had the option to use your own mp3 player and choose any music you wanted rather than a unit with preloaded music that you cannot change. We listened to an assortment of music, but our favorites were Rockabye Baby Nirvana, More Beatles and Pink Floyd (stay tuned for review on these great cd's). I still often play these cd's for the boys when we are having a rough day and it seems to calm everyone down. I'm not sure if they remember listening to the music together but I of course do and I have fond memories of the three of us (one still in utero) together lying down, relaxing and listening to the music.
The Bellysonic retails for $69.95 US and can be purchased at the US based Bellysonic online store, they ship to both US and Canada.

Dealing with death

We recently had to deal with the death of our close friend's daughter, it was tragic to say the least. The difficult part was explaining the death to toddler L. A week before the incident L's fish had died so at least he was somewhat prepared. Unfortunately explaining the death of a person is a bit different than a fish. We flushed the fish so he knew where the fish was and that he wasn't coming back, our friend's daughter was another story. When we were offered the chance to review the book Where do we go? : The Good Grief Book by James F. Weinsier we jumped at the chance. Due to our personal stance on religion we were a little worried about how the book would be presented but we were pleasantly surprised by the books ability to blend with most different religious and spiritual views. The book does not address a specific religious view and is very open which we liked. Though this book unfortunately did not help us to explain death to 3 year old L it did open up conversation and imagination for where you might go after death and what it might be like. The pictures (illustrated by Cliff Beaman) are very detailed and L loved pouring over every detail and discussing what was going on. Even after we were done reading the book he sat with it for hours and is still immersed in it days later. While we are still dealing with the most random questions that really seem to have no good answers for, at least this fabulous book can help us too answer some of them and leave L with some good thoughts about a bad situation.


Where do we go? : The Good Grief Book by James F. Weinsier retails for $12.95US and can be purchased at Amazon.com or through Books Plus by calling 1-877-630-8998, they ship to both US and Canada.

Zeddy's Diapers and Training Pants/ Great diapers at Zellers!!

Toddler L is now out of diapers during the day but he still wears diapers at bedtime so we were happy to try out Zeddy's Frisky Frog Training Pants. These are basically Zellers brand of pull-up's but cheaper. First off we love the price difference, these are much cheaper than the Huggies or Pampers version. We were though a little confused by the sizing; L is normally a size 4 in diapers and in these he was a 2T-3T. The difference in size though makes sense though when you take into consideration the weight. Zeddy's size 2T-3T is for under 34 lbs and Pampers Easy Ups (which we used to use) size 4 is for 16-34 lbs, they both contain 44 diapers though. So aside from the sizing seeming different on the package (though they really aren't) the price is the great part. Zeddy's diapers and training pants start at $12.99CAD while the name brand ones retail at $17.99!!! So we already have you know hooked by the price don't we? Now on to the training diaper itself, these to me are great because they are not covered with cartoon characters (I really hate that!) they have the alphabet and music note on the front and the big seller for me; on the back it says "back side back side". How many times have you asked your hubby to help out and he's put on the training pants backwards?! The diapers come in unisex while the training pants come in boys or girls. Performance wise they are very absorbent and hold up well but I would not really recommend them for night time use. We used them at night and they were hit and miss on leaking but I think that is because training diapers are meant to be peed in and then taken off, not rolled around in all night. Also because L didn't pee every night we would use the same diaper for multiple nights if it was still dry and that did stretch it out a bit. I had L's little girlfriend try out the Zeddy's b/c she is still in diapers and her mom found that they held up very well. They also have the tear away sides like the name brand training pants which is nice. Another observation is they don't have that jelly build up after sitting in pee for a bit like some other brands. I really wish we had known about Zeddy's Training Pants when we were going through a few bags of Pampers a week!! These are great training pants and you just can't beat the price!! We 100% recommend these diapers and training pants to anyone who uses disposables!!Zeddy's Teeny Tadpole diapers and Frisky Frog Training Pants retail starting at $12.99CAD for a mega bag and $14.99CAD for a larger club pack, they can be purchased at your local Zellers all across Canada.

Breath easy

Even though winter has ended and spring has sprung, we are still at that yucky in between seasons stage where one day it's gorgeous and the next day you want to turn the heat back on. This can really mess with your system and for some of us we end up stuffy and congested though we are not quite sick. Over the winter I received a Vick's GermFree Warm Mist Humidifier and boy do I love that baby!! During the winter months it was a blessing to have and it still is. This humidifier is a giant but for me it's just one more reason to love it, because of it's large size it's able to house two water tanks that equal to a 2 gallon capacity so you never run out of water in the middle of the night or early morning hours. Pure, sanitized warm mist kills up to 99.999% germs, mold and bacteria in the water helping to prevent you and your little ones from getting more sick or just helping you get better. It also has a patented germicidal ultraviolet chamber and promotes better breathing everyday. It also has a small little reservoir for Vick's VapoSteam, the great thing is this is it removes for easy cleaning. This humidifier comes complete with an on/off button, humidity control and 3 lights that let you know when the unit is on, when you need to refill the tanks and replace the UV bulb. The Vick's GermFree Warm Mist Humidifier definitely is the mother of all humidifiers. There is not a thing missing from it and it really has been a life saver this winter and this spring. It has been especially great since the arrival of baby K who has been congested and stuffed up since birth though is finally getting better. It's been a huge help clearing baby K's stuffed up nose at night so he can breath and sleep easier which has helped us all get some much needed rest.

The Vick's GermFree Warm Mist Humidifier retails for $90US and can be purchased at Walmart in the US or Canada.

Canadian Family's Top 53 Mommy Blogs

Check it out!! We made the cut! A big thanks to Canadian Family Magazine online for adding us to their Top 53 Mommy Blogs list, we are thrilled to be on it. Canadian Family is a great magazine (they also have a great online website as well) and we read it every month so we are thrilled to be on this list!! We also want to say hello to those who stopped by after seeing us on the list, we hope you'll come back as their are many more reviews to be posted soon.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!

Because my child's "Safety" does come "1st"

I am one of those mom's who gets looked at oddly by other parents because I still have my 3 1/2 year old rear facing in the car. That's right you heard me, I paid more for my car seat than some other cheaper models out there because my I had the option to keep my child rear facing past 20 lbs and the age of 1 year. I have even gotten into a huge debate with my local Starbuck's barista over the comfort level and safety of my child (started by him of course). So yes I feel a little strongly about having my son rear facing and I was a little upset when L hit the 30 lb rear facing limit of his car seat. That's why I am loving L's new car seat the Safety 1st Complete Air Convertible Car Seat with it's rear facing limit of a whopping 40 lbs!! The Air Protect also has an innovative safety feature of protecting your child's head in the event of a side impact crash by diverting crash forces away from your child's head. The Side Impact Technology is adjustable along with the seats shoulder slots for the 5 point harness. The headrest and harness height is easily and quickly changed with 2 adjustment levers above the headrest. Another great feature of this seat is it's removable drink holder that can be placed on either side of the seat, this has to be L's favorite feature as his old seat did not have a cup holder. In a pinch the holder could most likely hold snacks, it is also easy to remove and clean. This 5 point harness convertible car seat is rear facing from 5-40lbs (19"-40") and forward facing from 22-50lbs (34"-45"). Also the angle of the seat offers L a more generous amount of leg room than his previous seat did. It comes in 2 stylish color options at most stores; a brown and burnt orange and a black and grey. (At Walmart they sell a black and red option) Because of the headrest the seat-cover looks deceptively hard to remove for cleaning purposes but thanks to L having an accident in his seat the other day I had the lovely privilege of having to remove the cover and straps for a thorough cleaning. I admit this was a task I was not looking forward too but the instructions in the car seat manual were pretty straight forward and taking the cover and straps off were simple. For cleaning the cover they recommend you hand wash and air dry and to only spot clean the straps. I personally chose to wash the cover on the hand wash cycle in my washer and hang dry and it turned out great. It did though take a couple of days for the cover to completely dry so make sure you don't need to go anywhere for a few days before you wash your cover. As for the straps and buckle I soaked them in a bucket with a little Dawn dish soap and rinsed and hung them to dry, they also turned out great. Putting the seat back together was just as easy as taking it apart once you figured out the straps. Now L's seat looks good as new and pee free which is always nice. The only issue I have with this seat is that they state it should not be tethered while rear facing while some other seats on the market state that they must be tethered while rear facing. I am not quite sure what the difference is but infant seats aren't tethered rear facing so I'm sure it's just the way this particular seat works. However, we really are loving this new seat and now I can be comforted by my need to have my son rear facing for at least another 10lbs. (Take that hairy Starbuck's dude!!)

The Safety 1st Complete Air Convertible Car Seat retails for $269 CAD and can be purchased from BabiesRUs in both Canada and the US as well as Walmart in both Canada and US.

*please note that I really have no problem with parents who choose to turn their children forward facing at 20lbs/1 year, I believe that it is a personal choice and each individual parents choice to make and really shouldn't be anyone else's business or concern*