morning routine, simplified.

go here to check out what the gals over at how does she recommend...

printables site.

found a great site that has a bunch of printables... ones for the babysitter, home management, christmas, etc. the one that i found most useful is the download of sheets for first day of school pics. i printed off a preschool and kindergarten one for each of the kids. such a good idea! :)

check it out here.

packed lunches.

this fall, i will have a child staying at school during the lunch hour for the first time ever. I've been looking into some ideas for lunch for him, and i've landed on an idea similar to the "muffin tin meals" idea i had posted about previously. it's called "bento boxes" and you may already know lots about it... it's not a new idea or anything... just new to me.

so i put the question up on my facebook page asking about what other moms and dads do for their kids lunches they take to school. one really awesome resource that was given to me was the blog called "bentology". the author posts pictures of the great bento boxes she puts together for her kids, so if you aren't familiar with bento, check that site out. it's a good resource for preschooler-friendly lunches.

i was also looking into what kinds of containers i should use for my son's lunch. one great one (used on that bentology blog) is made by sassy, and is called the on the go feeding set. i was reading reviews, and found that it might not be great for lunches containing a lot of liquid, but works great for dry foods. and the price is right, as well. 6 bucks at babies r' us.

here are a few other sites that might be useful for bento box making and preschool lunch assembling.

What's for lunch at our house
basic bento
bentobloggy
Lunch fit for a kid
another lunch
meal makeover moms

BABYLEGS REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY!!

Babylegs Review by Kelly

Everytime we wear these I get so many comments from everyone about "how cute" they are and "what a good idea!" I could NOT agree more.



We have had a rather "chilly" spring in Ohio (As I write this it is 49 degrees in the middle of May!) The Babylegs have been a perfect extra layer to keep her warm as she cruises about.



Maria is our 4th child, she joins 3 brothers 6,4,2 so the fact that I can put these on and they STAY in place is GREAT, I don't need to be constantly pulling them up or adjusting them. As for easy access diaper changes, it saves me so much time!

The colors and styles we have are super cute with polka dots and hearts that we can mix and match with many different outfits.



Socks

The socks stayed on ALL day! The grippers made it nice as she learns to navigate from different surfaces.



Everything Babylegs sent us (socks, babylegs and tights) washed up well. We had to soak some of them due to food stains and just plain daily wear and tear. The colors didn't fade and they still held the elastic fit that makes them stay in place.



I would highly recommend these to other families, I plan to give some as gifts in the near future.

To purchase the Babylegs shown above:
From left to right:
PopHeart here
Sweet Violet Tights here
Popcicle here


-----
Babylegs High Praise by Jen P.








Babylegs are the baby essential you didn’t know you needed!

Is your baby crawling and getting marks on his or her knees? Is it 90 degrees outside, but 60 inside because of the air conditioning? Are you in need of some extra sun protection at the pool or beach? Does your child need an extra layer on his or her legs or arms outside during the winter? Do you want to give your child’s outfits that extra “zing” of cuteness? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you NEED Babylegs!

There have been endless ways to use this product. In my house, my son wears Babylegs on his arms as an added layer underneath short sleeves. When the morning is cool, but the afternoon is hot, we slip some Babylegs on till the temperature rises, and we don’t have to change into another shirt to accommodate the weather. My daughter wears her babylegs on her arms, as well, but also over her tights and leggings. I usually pair a solid legging with a patterned Babyleg that matches one of her tops. She can also be seen wearing Babylegs with her shorts and skirts (my personal favorite way for her to wear them). Or, for even more fun, we pair her Babylegs with a tutu and t-shirt. The possibilities are endless, and the combinations are always fun to create. We hear nothing but compliments when she is wearing her favorite pairs!


Our new soon-to-be favorite way to be wearing Babylegs is at the beach. The Cool! Babylegs offer 50+UPF Protection, are made of a lightweight mesh, and can be used wet or dry! We can’t wait to try them out this summer!

As a mom, one of the things that I appreciate the most about Babylegs is the company itself. They are always willing to donate to children in need, they back their product 100%, and their customer service is FANTASTIC. I have spoken several times to their customer service representatives, and give them high praise for how they go above and beyond to make sure that every customer is satisfied. Not only do they offer legwarmers, but also socks, knee socks, and tights. Sizes range from newborn to 4T. A new "Hello Kitty" line will be available later this summer, as well!

So I bet that you want to get in on the action, right? You’re in luck, because at this very moment, Babylegs is having a clearance sale! The sale can be found here, and when you put at least 50 dollars worth of product from that page only into your cart, you can use the code BL5050 to get 50% off your total order. As always, with a 30 dollar purchase, shipping is free!

We also are doing a fun giveaway here on our blog for our moms! To enter, you need to become a fan on Facebook and Twitter (if you have one). Leave your name and the name of your favorite pair below in the comment section and you will be entered into a drawing (winner selected via random.org) for a grab-bag of Babylegs! Giveaway winner will be chosen on June 28th! The winner will be announced on the blog that day, and will have 24 hours to claim their prize before a new winner is picked!

Happy Babylegging!!

crazy 8 sale!

you might wanna head over to the crazy 8 site and check out the denim sale... most jeans are 6.99 and under. i got boy's jeans for 6.99 and little girls jeans (3T) for 4.99. sizes are going fast, so hurry over! 5 dollar flat rate shipping, as well.

orrville library events.

go here to check out the upcoming events at the orrville library, especially for kids! awesome programming includes an opening day celebration, and a kindergarten session in august!

Sydney sale!

Now in progress! Check out the new items that are just in at sydneysosweet.com! Get 15% off with the code MEMORIAL through june 7th!

Baby photo prop idea.

Umm, hello, cuteness! Check it out here.

Father's day gift ideas.

Here is a whole boatload of great ideas for father's day.
Last year, i took pics of the dog and my two kids with the letters d (my dog and daughter held that one in seperate pics) and a (my son held that one) and then i added them to a picture frame with three framed slots to spell out "dad". I really liked the way it turned out, and i saved the letters to do it again this year. I figure that it will chronicle the kids growth through the years, and will take up some of the empty space on his office walls. Adding in the dog gave some comic relief, but if you only have two kids, you can have them hold the letter a together. Really, any combo would work.
A great variation of it is for the grandpas or pawpaws of the world, with all the grandkids. And grand dogs. :)

Happy creating!

No sew boys cape!

A-ha! A boy-inspired craft for the masses! Go check out the no sew cape here!

Things to do with the kids.

Go here for some great ideas for things to do this summer!

Here is another list of 80+ things to do.

company kids.

check out the catalog company kids and get a discount!

companykids.com/PAR51
expires 7/31/11
good for 20% off

car activities.

some suggestions for car activities if you're taking some long trips this summer:

car bingo
audio books
mix cd's
rest stop recess (balls, frisbee, etc.)

let them eat cake!

check out 60+ cakes with how-to instructions at parenting.com/cakes

appaman.

target has a new "designer" line of kids clothes available through june 19, called appaman. 10% of the purchase price goes to "baby buggy", jessica seinfeld's charity.

cosi.

dinosaur exhibit- 3000 sq. foot maze. runs from may 28th- sep 5th, 2011.

member savings: get a discount on admissions to columbus museum of art, columbus zoo and aquarium, franklin park conservatory, king arts complex, ohio historical society and wexner center for the arts with your member card. visit cosi.org/members for info.

those with premium and supporting family memberships are eligible for the "out on the town" discount card, which offers 20% off at great columbus eateries.

special days of note:
farm days aug 17-21
messy science day: july 4
big machines: june 11-19
kids in motion bike festival: july 16

ladies night out.

ladies night out, sponsored by main street wooster, will be june 23rd, and offers the opportunity to shop and dine in downtown. info forthcoming.

farmland at akron zoo.

farmland at akron zoo is now open! it features a petting and feeding area, a maze and a train. open daily from 10-5.

things to do.

Wooster farmers Market opens June 4th. Saturdays from 8am-Noon, through Oct. 29th.

Kids Day in Wooster also on June 4th. On the square downtown, from 1-4pm. Free crafts, activities, contests music, live animals. Bounce house. For info: Main Street Wooster, Inc. at 330.262.6222

June 2nd- Breastfeeding Class at Dunlap Hospital. June 4th- Lamaze Childbirth Class, Part 2. www. dunlaphospital.org

Summer Camp 2011, June 6th-August 12th. 9-4, Mon-Fri. Swimming, Soccer, Crafts, Tennis, BAseball, Skating, etc. 125 dollars per week, includes lunch. Info, call 330.345.8686 or www.nobleice.com

Pancake Breakfast, June 11th, 8-Noon at the Wayne County Airport. Tickets are 5 dollars for adults, kids 10 and under are Free.

Strawberry Festival. June 11th 4-7pm at Dalton Village Park. Food and entertainment.

Physicals for kids offered by WCHD. Ages birth through 18. Fees on sliding scale. Call 330.264.9590 for appt.

Paws to Read at the Wayne Co. Public Library. Saturdays, at 10am. Kids can practice reading to trained therapy dogs.

Memorial Day Parade, May 30th at 9am.

Babylegs memorial day sale.

A gob of spring styles are now on sale! Shop early, as people have been dying for discounts lately. Go here to check out the action.

Highlights include the knee highs and socks for five bucks, and the super soft tights for ten dollars off. Unheard of!

And check back here later this week for our Babylegs Review, where one lucky mom will win a Babylegs Grab bag!