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*

Being green while living the dream

Remember when you used to fantasize about meeting Mr Right, getting married, having a house and kids? I bet you didn't think about the endless pile of dirty laundry, the millions of errands you would be running almost daily with the screaming kids in the back of your vehicle, the daily house cleaning, the cooking, the grocery shopping trips filled with fighting and crying........That's where LTDchix come in. LTD stands for Living The Dream and they sell shirts and reusable shopping bags sporting cute designs of all those mom dreams we are all living!! Designs include laundry mom, mini-can mom, cleaning mom, cooking mom, referee mom, shopping mom and work out mom. I love my LTDchix shopping bags. They always get a compliment at the check out line. I have them in the shopping mom design and they really do sum up my shopping outings; pushing an overflowing grocery cart surrounded by bickering kids!!

LTDchix shopping bags retail at $3US each and can be purchased at their US based online store, they do ship to both the US and Canada.

What's in L's closet??

Rebel Ink Baby was the invention of 2 parents inspired by their 2 children. This line of clothes ranging in sizes from birth to 5T is not your run of the mill cutesy line of kids apparel but more of a rocker inspired line. Printed mostly on black or white the line boasts some funny and sometimes out there saying and graphics. Toddler L proudly wears his "Beastie Babies Fight For Your Right To Potty" shirt. The shirt is very good quality and still looks brand new after many, many trips through both the washer and dryer, the black has not faded at all and the graphics and words still look as good as the first wear.
Rebel Ink Baby is having a sale right now and all white and yellow onesies and shirts are only $10-$18US, items can be purchased from their US based online store. They ship to both US and Canada or see here for a list of retailers in both the US and Canada.

Uncommonly Cute has a line of shirts, onesies and shoes from birth to size 6 with graphics and sayings as witty as ones you would find on an adult shirt without being offensive. All graphics have the option of being on a onesie, short sleeve or long sleeve. Some of our favorites are "your mom will love me" and "king of the little people". Right now with the birth of his little brother K, L is loving his "Big Brother" shirt and wears it till it's filthy and we can convince him to take it off for a wash. This shirt has definitely held up well to some wear and tear and multiple washings!! I only wish the sizing was a little bigger as 3 year old L is quickly outgrowing his size 4 shirt.
Uncommonly Cute's onesies and short sleeve shirts retail at $23US and the long sleeve shirts retail at $25US, items can be purchased from their US based online store. They ship to both US and Canada or see here for a list of retailers in both the US and Canada.

Petit Patapon is a bit pricey for kids clothes and I am not a fan of all their clothes but they do have some cute items that are our style and their items are good quality. In fact I like the girls line better than the boys but unfortunately I only have boys. The shirt and jeans we have from the line are very true to size and may even be a bit larger compared to similar brands. L's jeans from Petit Patapon are very different from the other jeans he owns, they are made of a very thin organic cotton denim and are so soft and luxurious and they even have an adjustable waist band which is a big must with my skinny boys. But for over $40 for a shirt and over $50 for pants I'm not sure I would shell out that kind of money for everyday clothes for my rowdy boys but maybe I would for a special occasion outfit. Petit Patapon ranges in size from birth to size 12.

Petit Patapon ranges in price from approximately $40US and up, items can be purchased from their US based online store. They ship to both US and Canada.

One of my absolutely favorite shirts of L's is from Tiny Revolutionary. Tiny Revolutionary is an organic t-shirt line encouraging kids to express their individuality and make a difference in the world. This is our kind of company. Their super soft organic cotton shirts hold messages of peace, love, be kind to animals and save the earth. L has the recycle love too and it's so nice. The more I wash and dry it, the softer it gets and it always looks good. Tiny Revolutionary's tees range in size from 3 months to adult. In fact I love L's shirt so much I am thinking of buying one of their "Peace, Love, Haiti" shirts for myself. 15% of the profits for this shirt go to For This One- an organization working to bring relief and resources to the children of the earthquake in Haiti.

Tiny Revolutionary onesies and tees range in price from $25-40US, items can be purchased from their US based online store. They ship to both US and Canada. Enter code FRSHIP right now for free shipping!