Ok – I’ve done a lot of searching to find Cameron the right sippy. I’ve stumbled upon a new option that I saw another mom friend using. It’s a CamelBak bottle in a kids size (.4 Liter).
A great sippy for water!
It doesn’t leak, and Cameron loves using it. It’s also BPA free! I ordered mine from Amazon – they have lots of colors and patterns to choose from.
Recently Huggies approached me and asked me to be a brand ambassador for their Little Movers line of Diapers. Those of you who read Mommy For the Win regularly know that I am a true fan of Huggies, so it took me about 1 minute to say “Yes!” Part of the job description is to write a post about Little Movers. I was wondering what I would write about – I have already done a Huggies vs Pampers post, as well as discussed my preference for their Overnight diapers and their Little Swimmers. But, as we were on our way to our Vacation last week Huggies managed to prove to me, once again, how awesome they are. So I decided to tell my story in case some of you are still not in the Huggies Little Movers Camp with me!
Last Monday we were all set to fly non stop from JFK to Turks and Caicos – a quick 3 hour flight. The night before I packed my diaper bag with 3 of my Huggies Little Movers thinking this would be more than enough to last me until we were all checked in, and ready to hit the pool. Well, that morning, the world (and the unhelpful staff at JFK) was conspiring against us, and we missed the check in time for our flight. After a small breakdown on my part, we managed to rebook on a flight that took us through Miami, and then eventually on to Turks. We were supposed to arrive at 9pm, assuming everything ran on time. Our bags were checked, and I suddenly realized that I might have a diaper situation on my hands……
Cameron burns some energy and puts his Little Movers to the test.
After lunch we still had plenty of time to kill. Cameron had a lot of energy, and I was happy to let him work it off in the hopes that he would snooze on the plane. He had already had his diaper on since 8am, but I didn’t want to change him until absolutely necessary since I knew my supply was limited. Cameron must have walked up and down those flat “people mover” escalators in terminal 8 about 100 times. He was putting those Little Movers to the test! But there was never a leak, and it sure seemed like they weren’t getting in his way despite being quite full. I was hoping he would poop before our flight, but when they finally let us on the plane (at a very late 2:30pm) he hadn’t, so I changed him. 1 diaper down, 2 left.
Finally asleep.....
As we departed, I gave Cameron his bottle and he fell asleep quickly. The flight was full, and he was on our laps. I can’t imagine how he managed to sleep – he was in every extremely uncomfortable position possible, and constantly shifting. He was going to have some serious kinks in his neck! Despite the shifting, and having just downed 9 oz of milk – no leaks. Go Huggies! We arrived in Miami around 6:45pm. I kept Cam’s diaper on hoping still for the elusive poop before changing him. No luck. They called for our flight to board, so I changed Cam in the bathroom. Another extremely full diaper, with no leaks. 2 diapers down, 1 left.
We boarded the plane around 7:30 pm – and waited. There was a lightening storm, so we were stuck. Cam took this opportunity to have his poop – diaper change required! And in a plane bathroom, no less. Believe me folks, this is quite a challenge. 3 diapers down, 0 left – fingers crossed.
We finally departed Miami around 8:45pm – and arrived in Turks around 10pm. I gave Cameron some milk to help with the take off, and some water to help with the landing. Cam was surprisingly peppy, given that it was around 10 when we landed. No leaking or sagging as Cameron ran around the baggage claim area. Eventually we ended up in our hotel room – around 11pm, 8 hours later than we expected to. Despite my stressing, Cameron, and his Little Movers had held up to the challenge. I put him in his Huggies Overnights, and we all passed out within minutes. What a day! And finally, the vacation could really begin!
Little Swimmers? Check! Awesome fun in the sun? Check!
I’ve given Cameron pancakes before, but one day at the playground one of my mom friends whipped out some mini (silver dollar sized) ones in a container that she had kept for snack time. What a brilliant idea! It’s great for the kids because they can hold them in their hands and run around and play while they snack.
Pancakes, not just for breakfast!
I make my pancakes with the Arrowhead Mills Multigrain Pancake & Waffle Mix which is available on Fresh Direct. The directions for the pancakes don’t call for an egg, but I add one anyways. I also use melted butter instead of oil, and add a touch of honey for sweetness. I haven’t gotten too advanced yet, but I am thinking adding strawberries, blueberries, or bananas would be good, or if you want to go the hidden vegetable route, perhaps some pumpkin puree. So next time you make pancakes for breakfast, make a few extra little guys to tote around as snacks. Yum!
I think twitter is an amazing way to get and share news about your neighborhood, talk to brands directly, and just have fun. I follow a lot of twitter accounts of websites that I read regularly because they will often post extra information – little tidbits, pictures, and news updates – and the brands will sometimes post about special sales, contests, and promotions.
Try twitter, even if you just want to follow people and not post. It's great! Plus, people will think you are cool.
So, if you give twitter a try, here’s my list of people you should think about following:
Brands:
Huggies – Huggies – my diaper of choice for Cameron, weather its their Little Movers, Overnights, or Little Swimmers. Whoever does their twitter is amazing. They are really active with the community, and love to share everyone’s pictures and advice. Plus, there are lots of giveaways!
PullUpsBigKid – Huggies Pull Ups – for those of you who are potty training, get expert advice.
Sephora_Expert – An expert from Sephora (which is also on twitter) that gives expert advice and will specifically answer all your beauty questions. Go ahead, ask them a question!
FreshDirect – Fresh Direct – the grocery delivery service. They offer lots of specials via twitter.
diapersdotcom – Diapers dot com – My go to spot when I’m in a pinch for baby supplies. Who can resist free overnight shipping?
PatagoniaNYC – Patagonia – Find out when the sales are on, and get excellent customer service. They even put Cam’s sizes on hold for me to be sure what I needed was there when I got to the store.
CCCalifornia – C and C California – I love this company’s super soft tee’s and clothing. Follow them to find out about all the sales and specials going on.
Neighborhood news / local bloggers:
PolishBar_Bklyn – Polish Bar of Brooklyn – This local mani-pedi spot is my favorite in the neighborhood.
Brownstoner – Brownstoner.com – Get up to the minute updates on what’s going on in brooklyn.
OneHungryMama – OneHungryMama.com – Get great food + kid related info.
fortgreenepark – fortgreenepark.org – Get local news straight from the Fort Greene Park Conservancy.
PrattArea – prattarea.org – The Pratt Area Community Council
LOVEofBROOKLYN – fortheloveofbrooklyn.com – If you love photography and you love Brooklyn, then you will really enjoy these tweets.
BrooklynKids – brooklynkids.org – the Brooklyn Children’s Museum – get the latest scoop on the new exhibits and activities.
achildgrows – achildgrowsinbrooklyn.com – All the news any Brooklyn parent can use.
clintonhillblog – ClintonHillBlog.com – Covering news specific to our ‘hood.
BKLocal – fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com – the New York Times Local covering Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.
bklynbotanic – bbg.org – the Brooklyn Botanic Garden – see pictures, and learn about events.
PATHBrooklyn – parentsaroundthehill.com – See the latest from Parents Around the Hill.
camerongood – See what my son Cameron is up to. I post lots of pictures, and we check in on Gowalla, so you can see where we are at.
mrsbetsygood – That’s me! I tweet a lot about neighborhood news, as well as random stuff about my life in general.
I asked the Fort Greene Babies and Fort Greene Kids Yahoo Groups for some more advice on entertaining Cameron on the plane, and I wanted to share with all of you the suggestions that other moms gave me.
Pop up books – one mom claimed that she entertained her toddler for 4 hours with this pop up book! Sounds pretty good to me.
Magna Doodle – I often forget about those “old school” toys, but I thought this was a great idea. It’s all the fun of crayons, without the potential mess and wasted paper.
Mr. Potato Head – another “old school” toy that sounds like it would be lots of fun for a plane ride.
A Toy Airplane – The only time I took Cam on a flight before he was deathly ill and much younger. I think this time will be much more exciting – and having a little plane there for him to play with might be the cherry on the sundae!
A puppet – Cameron has a book called “Mouse in the House” that has a little mouse puppet which he is obsessed with. So I think a puppet for a plane ride is a fantastic idea.
Those crappy toys you get with your happy meal (etc). – One mom says she saves all these little toys and breaks them out on the plane. If parts of them get lost – who cares! Sounds like smart thinking to me!
Many moms echoed the suggestion of playing movies and videos, the necessity for lots of snacks, and also how important it was to have a change of clothes for the child (and yourself, if you can fit it) in case of disaster!
And, with that – I’m off for the week! I’ll come back and report on how the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort was……… But for now, some much needed vacation. 
Have a great week!!
It’s no secret that Cameron and I are a big fan of the Library. On any given rainy day you can find us at the Clinton Hill Branch (380 Washington Ave) and of course, we are there on Tuesdays for Babies and Books. This week I saw a sign posted about a rally this Saturday (May 15th) to Save the Brooklyn Libraries.
Save the Libraries!
I had heard the libraries were in trouble but I didn’t realize how dire the situation was! Currently the Brooklyn Public Libraries are facing a $20.6 million cut in city funding. If this goes through, 16 libraries will close, weekend hours will be severely limited, and programs for children, teens, and seniors may be cut. If you are as much of a fan of the library as me, please join the rally on Saturday, May 15, 2010, from noon to 2 PM. It will be held in front of the main branch at Grand Army Plaza. You can also donate to the Support our Shelves campaign. There are several easy ways to send in your dollars – online, at the Brooklyn Public library website, by phone (call 718-230-2738 ,) via text message (text BOOKS to 50555 to make a $10 donation,) or you can pick up an envelope at the front desk of the Library and mail in your donation. If you have any questions about the Support Our Shelves fundraiser, email them to supportourshelves@brooklynpubliclibrary.org If you can’t make it to the rally, you can also call 311 to let the City know how you feel. For more information, visit the Brooklyn Public Library website.
Posted from New York, New York, United States.
My mom is an avid gardener, and I grew up helping her in the garden, and eating vegetables that we grew. I think it’s really great for kids to see where food comes from, so this year I’ve got my garden going – and I plan to involve Cameron as much as possible. I got my tomato plants at the Fort Greene Farmer’s Market. I decided to go for 2 cherry-type varieties mostly because I find I have much more success with these varieties. It takes a lot of effort to grow one perfect brandywine tomato, and a lot less to make a whole bunch of little guys! Plus I like how they taste. If I want a big tomato, I just pick one up at the Farmer’s Market.
I have a roof deck, and I grow my plants in containers (I get the “self watering” ones from gardeners.com). I think the major failures that people have when it comes to gardening are:
1)They don’t give the plant the correct amount of sunshine. Tomatoes need a lot of sun. Not all plants do – so ask the person you are buying them from, or read the label on the plant. FYI – most veggies DO need lots of sun.
2)They don’t water the plants enough. It gets REALLY hot on my deck in the summer, and even though my planters are “self watering” (this means there is a reservoir at the bottom that holds water) I will still generally water once a day. Watering means putting water on until the water seeps out the bottom – not just a little sip of water. Also, try not to get the leaves too wet when you water – stick to watering at the base of the plant.
3)They don’t give the plants enough space to grow. A tomato plant might start small, but it grows really large! I only put in one plant per planter. That way it doesn’t have to fight for space or water.
Here’s a few pictures of my tomato plants. As you can see I have taken off the lowest sets of leaves, and then I bury the plants deep. This is a little unusual – generally when you plant something you want to plant it even with the soil level. But if you plant your tomatoes deep, then roots will grow off what used to be the stem of the plant. Just leave a few leaves above the surface so the plant can make food from the sunshine. After planting, be sure to water. And then keep watering! Occasionally, I use fertilizer. Miracle Grow is ok, or you can find some organic solutions as well.
I’ll be sure to share more pictures later as the plants get bigger! And hopefully, Cameron will be excited to try his first home grown tomato.
I always struggle to get Cameron to eat his vegetables, so when I stumbled upon the fact that he loves the broccoli rabe that Maggie Brown (455 Myrtle Ave 718-643-7001) makes I was super happy. My guilty pleasure to order from this comfort food restaurant is the fried chicken. It comes with sides of mashed potatoes, the broccoli rabe of course, and a biscut. Cameron enjoys snacking on all of this, and the chicken too.
Yum yum gimmie some!
Now unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get Cameron to eat the broccoli rabe that I make – but I’m happy to take any victory (especially in the vegetable department) no matter how small. So, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill mommies, next time you order out, try Maggie Brown. Maybe you will have a surprise veggie victory as well.
Our vacation is less a week away (!!) so I’ve been asking my fellow moms for advice when it comes to entertaining a toddler on a plane. None of these are exactly groundbreaking ideas, but maybe some of these them will be helpful to you.
Stickers – lots and lots of stickers! – Cameron is really into stickers lately, so this idea made perfect sense to me. We’ve been getting them after our weekly visits to Trader Joe’s and Cameron will spend the whole walk back sticking and unsticking them to his pants and anything around him. I went to Target and picked up a bunch in the Stationary and Scrapbooking sections (on the first floor near the greeting cards). We went for the truck and farm stickers, but there’s a big assortment. I also ordered some Melissa and Doug stickers off of Amazon. I got a pad of paper (also from Target) so that the stickers hopefully end up there instead of all over the plane. I also plan to bring crayons.
Cameron picks out some stickers at Target
A new toy – I’m going for something blinky that involves batteries. I haven’t quite picked out something yet, but I’ll keep you posted as to what I end up with. But, I plan to keep it totally secret until we get on the plane, that way it will be all the more exciting.
Videos – I ordered a Yo Gabba Gabba DVD – It is Cameron’s favorite so I am hoping it will buy me at least an hour or so. I went for the Dancey Dance Bunch, but I’m pretty sure any of them would do. Cameron doesn’t seem to mind watching them over and over again. I also have some Baby Einstein. Cameron loves Baby Wordsworth, and Neighborhood Animals.
iPhone – Peekaboo Barn is still Cameron’s favorite iPhone App, but he also loves just flipping through the photos (most of them are of him) and pressing the buttons in general.
Snacks – lots and lots of snacks. I think we all know that there isn’t much food on airplanes anymore, so don’t forget to pack an arsenal. It was also suggested to me to try lollipops. This isn’t something I would normally give Cameron, but when it comes to keeping a toddler quiet on a plane, I’ll go for pretty much anything.
Non-Refrigerated Milk (yes, they make that!) – I actually plan to bring this for not just the plane, but the vacation in general. You can get it on Fresh Direct (it’s called Farmland Lil’ Milk Stay Fresh Whole Milk). By the way, they also have 1% and 2% if your little one is no longer on Whole Milk.
Other Passengers – Cameron loves to make friends. Hopefully some of my fellow passengers will be interested in making friends back! If so, I plan to use them for as much entertainment as possible.
Books and Puzzles – Just like his videos, Cameron can play with his puzzles and books over and over and not get bored of them. He also really likes his touch and feel flash cards. I think I’ll stick with his most favorite ones (tractor, firetruck, dog, cat, ball).
Any of you mommies out there have other ideas to share with everyone? I can use all the help I can get!
Yes, I know it’s not Mother’s Day yet – but I’m going to be enjoying my Mother’s Day (which I am really turning into a whole weekend – think about it!) so I won’t get to posting.
I hope you are able to spend some quality time with your own families, and give yourself some time as well!
On Saturday I am getting my hair cut at Devachan in Soho. I’ve never been, but it was recomended by a friend and I am excited to try it. For any of you with curly or wavy hair like myself, I will give a full report. Afterwards I think I’ll stop by the Botkier sample sale which is going on right now at 60 Mercer St. in SoHo. The designer is a friend (and great mom – she has 3 kids, one born just 3 days after Cameron, and a cute newborn too) and I am happy to support her especially if it means a new bag for me.
On Sunday it’s brunch and shopping with another mom friend in the City!
Moms, while you are having some much needed “me time” encourage your husbands to hang out with each other and have some playdates. I think my husband has some bike rides and kiddie pool time lined up.
So – do share fellow mommies, what do you plan to do this weekend?
