Monthly Archives: May 2008

Healthy Child Healthy World: a book review

Books, Green, Health, Safety

HealthychildhealthyworldbookI got this book in early April and wanted to hold off on reviewing it here until all the Earth Day hype simmered down.  Why?  We shouldn’t just hear about all the products and services that will help us lead  ‘greener’ lives on and around Earth Day!  We need to adjust our lives to put forth the effort to lead safer, healthier lives everyday!

Healthy Child Healthy World is honestly one of the best books of this type that I’ve read in a very long time.  It is not just a book to read once and put on the bookshelf.  I refer to it regularly as a reference book when I have a question about a cleaning product, formula, toy, etc. 

As parents, we want to do anything and everything to make my children’s lives safer and healthier.  But up until recently consumers weren’t given easy access to the information and tools necessary to implement changes that will make a difference in our lives and those of our family.  Now with Healthy Child Healthy World, parents can have this much needed information within reach 24/7.

Healthy Child Healthy World teaches us how to move away from cleaning products containing harsh chemicals, ammonia, and bleach and instead use items you may already have such as hydrogen peroxide, borax, and tea tree oil.  These three things are great to use for getting rid of mold.

Two of my favorite  of th 10 chapters in this book are "A Clean Plate: Choose and Eating and Storing Healthier Food" and "Child’s Play: Safer Toys, Gear and Clothing".  These chapters provide a wealth of information.

Endorsed by celebrities including Harvey Karp (The Happiest Baby on the Block – one of my favorite reads when Madelyn was an infant) Tobey Maguire, Sheryl Crow, Vanessa Williams, and Tom Hanks.

I highly recommend that all parents buy this book for themselves and for their parents and friends.  This book can make a huge impact on your life like it has already done for mine.

You can purchase Healthy Child Healthy World at a currently discounted rate here.

Little Tikes Sand & Water Fun Factory

Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Outdoor Toys

Both of my kids, 2 and 8, love the Little Tikes Sand & Water Fun Factory.  I appreciate the compact size while the kids enjoy the two sides, one for sand andLittletikessandwaterfunfactory
one for water.  The toys that come with the sand & water fun factory are just enough to keep my kids entertained for a good while.  Madelyn usually plays with the water side while Sebastian builds sand structures and plays with the gears and funnels above the sand and water areas.  I particularly love the sun shade canopy.  Our front porch gets a lot of sun in the afternoon so the sun shade is really appreciated.  It can even be raised or lowered to accommodate the different angles of the sun throughout the day.

Besides the gears and funnels that attach to the underside of the lid for each section, the sand & water fun factory comes with several toys including a boat, a truck, and a shovel all of which are perfect for little hands.  The lids drop down when play time is over to keep protect the sand and toys from those pesky animals (cats.. we have two), and the sun.  The water side has a drain which makes it easy to empty after use so the water doesn’t sit and attract things we don’t like such as mosquito larvae.  That was really good thinking on Little Tikes part.

Madelyn likes to watch the truck go down the ramp that attaches to the side of the sand & water fun factory.  When I first saw the ramp I thought surely the truck would fly right off of it, but to my surprise it goes really fast and stays on through the end of the ramp.

I really like the design of the Sand & Water Fun Factory. I think they’ve done a great job and thought about the kids and parents when designing this toy.  As a parent, I appreciate the sun shade, compact size, and I am impressed with how easy it is to put together.  I had the sand & water fun factory up and ready to play with about 20 minutes after unpacking it from the box.   Another great thing is that it is light enough to move from place to place in the yard.   We usually sit on our front porch in the morning and early afternoon then migrate to the back yard in the evening so being able to move the sand & water fun factory is really great.

The video below is of Madelyn playing with the Sand & Water Fun Factory.  We have both sides filled with water because we left the top open and the sand got rained on and was not fun to play with after that.  Bad mommy!

You can buy the Little Tikes Sand & Water Fun Factory at eToys for $49.99 or less making this a very affordable outdoor toy that will last a long time.


Wet Ones antibacterial wipes

Beauty & Skin Care, Cleaning & Cleaners

Bacteria is something I can do without.   People can tell me all day long that my kids need to be exposed to bacteria so they become immune to it but when it comes to being exposed to bacteria such as that on shopping carts, that is gross and I don’t know anyone that will argue with me on that.

Since Sebastian was teeny tiny, I have used Wet Ones antibacterial wipes.  I’ve carried them in my diaper bags, in the car, in my purse, and in my pockets.  They are like family to me.  I feel like I should send Wet Ones a birthday card every year. 

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I am writing this review today to tell you why I like Wet Ones.  The number one reason I like Wet Ones is because of their durability.  9 times out of 10, when I am using an antibacterial wipe I am rubbing pretty hard.  Not enough to slough the skin off the kids hands but just enough to feel satisfied that the bacteria has been evicted from our skin.

I was thrilled recently when I found out that the Wet Ones canister fits in my car cup holder!  You know your life is all about the kids (or that you are a ‘germaphobe’) when you get excited about how easily you can access antibacterial wipes.

Wet Ones don’t dry out our skin after using them and the mild scent leaves our hands feeling clean and fresh.  You can buy Wet Ones antibacterial wipes at just about any convenience store or grocery store.  I am lobbying for a new GPS feature which brings up a list of locations that sell Wet Ones when you push a little Wet Ones button the GPS.  Wouldn’t that be cool while on road trips when you you know that nasty messes are inevitable!?

The 40 count canister is perfect for the car, while the 24 count carton of individually wrapped singles is perfect for trips to the park, and the 15 count travel pack is great to keep in your desk drawer or in that messy kitchen drawer where everything important ends up.  That’s not just me, is it?


I have a lot of Wet Ones to give away to lucky readers!  Visit May 22nd – May 31st to enter to win.  I will choose three winners to receive a variety of 10 packs of Wet Ones!

SimplyMobile™ Mom – Take your favorite content with you.. on your cell phone, FREE!

Fun stuff for parents, Gadgets, Organization

SimplymobilemomSimplyMobileMom is a new online service that gives me the ab
ility to copy online & computer content to my cell phone whether it’s pictures, recipes or snippets from a favorite blog (The Mommy Insider, for example).  An example of how I use SimplyMobileMoms is copying content from a news website like FOXNews.com, to my cell phone so that I can read it later when at the doctor’s office, in the school pick up line, or at the park without having to find the exact article on the website. 

If you don’t have a cell phone with a web browser, or just don’t use it, the SMS version of SimplyMobile is what you need.  Instead of receiving a text message with a link to the content, you will receive the content in the form of a text message.  For example, if you want to save a news story to your cell phone, you simply select the text, right click on it, then click on the "add to simplymobile" text in the menu that pops up.  The SimplyMobileMoms application on your computer will open and you will then choose a category in which to place this content for quick access on your cell phone.

The content I add to my phone creates a "portal" where I can access my saved content when I am away from the computer.  Organized by buckets (phones/people to receive content), categories, and then content items, you
can always gain access to the content you’ve added to your phone, even
if you have deleted the original text message.

There are lots of ways you can use SimplyMobileMoms.  Here is a list of what I regularly use it for:
1. To do lists
2. News snippets  –  I send news snippets to my cell phone so I don’t have to visit each news website individually to read the news I am interested in.  I just go to my SimplyMobileMoms on my cell phone and can see all of the stories I copied in one place.
3. Finding local products – The "TheFind" plug-in makes it easy for me to find just about anything in my area.  I type "organic vegetables" and I got a list of stores in my area that sell books on organic gardening, stores that sell organic cosmetics, etc.. This plug-in is really fun!

HOW IT WORKS: SimplyMobile is software you install on your computer. It lets you add any content to your phone like directions, to-do lists, grocery lists, contacts, and more from Web and your computer.  You can even share that content with other people’s phones.  If I want to share a news story with Tim while he is at work, I can! 

WHAT YOU NEED: All you need to use SimplyMobile is a computer with Windows and any cell phone with any carrier because content you add is sent in a text
message. SimplyMobile covers the cost of the text messages I receive and I don’t get spam text messages.

Like with any new software or service, I have experienced a few small issues such as not receiving a text message when I add new content and not being able to add a photograph from my computer sometimes, but all-in-all, I think SimplyMobileMoms is a great service for moms and dads!

WEBSITE: SimplyMobileMom

Ali-Oops! Toy Clips

Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Food and Drink, Toys

Alioopstoyclips_2Madelyn has had a pacifier clip since the day she was born and still uses it at 2 years old.  Little did I know that the same ‘clip’ idea could work on toys and sippy cups as well.  Once Madelyn hit the stage when she  was very entertained by the ‘drop it and mommy picks it up‘ game, I knew I had to do something.  I am a ‘germaphobe’ and can’t stand it when toys, cups, and pacifiers touch the ground.   Toys that touch the ground at restaurants, shops, playgrounds, etc.. are immediately removed from the children’s reach until I can sanitize the item properly.  I know that sounds a little serious but yuck, can you imagine what kinds of germs get on toys that touch the ground?

I was recently introduced to the Ali-Oops toy clip and now Madelyn is minus one game.  She tries with all her might to get her toys of off the Ali-Oops toy clip and to get the clip off the stroller but the strong button snaps make it really difficult.

Ali-Oops toy clips are available in two sizes, small and large.   There are 10+ classic and trendy design choices and at just $10 for the small size or $12 for the large size I think these would make great baby shower gifts.

WEBSITE: Ali! Oops Toy Clips

COUPON CODE: Use this link to get 10% off your purchase!