Baby Dipper Review & Giveaway

I love top quality items that work.  I don't like the idea of people paying more for something that just doesn't even work like it says it will.  So I've never splurged on any "fancy" eating utensils or bowls for my daughter.  I figured.. I didn't have one growing up and I learned to self-feed just fine.  But, I have to admit.. when I first saw the baby dipper I really wanted to get one for her.  But again.. didn't think I NEEDED it.

So I decided to contact Baby Dipper and see if they would be interested in doing a review and giveaway.  I didn't hear anything back.  So I actually forgot all about it.  But then I received an email from Barbara (of Baby Dipper) asking if I'd be interested in doing a review and offer up a giveaway.  At this time my daughter was about 16 months old.  I didn't know how much use we'd get out of it, but I said sure.

Barbara shipped my Baby Dipper so quick I don't even think it took 2 days to receive it.  Now, THAT is some quality service!  It just happened to come right before lunch too! So I washed it up while K was eating her main part of her lunch and then I put some applesauce in it. 

Kylee does great with a fork.  She can stab food and shove it in her mouth with the best of them.  However, she tends to get frustrated with spoons.  She didn't really have the scooping method down and she used a spoon much like she used a fork. (Stabbing everything.. or at least attempting to...)  So I didn't know how well this was going to work either.  Was I surprised though! She did GREAT with the baby dipper!  After a few tries and some trial and error.. she was scooping up her applesauce!!

So what exactly is SO special about this bowl? What about do I LOVE so much?  Well let me tell you...

It's BPA-Free

Lead-Free

Phthalate-Free!!

It's very easy to clean

The non-slip bottom keeps it from sliding all around (on tables and highchair trays!) and you don't have to worry about suction cups or anything annoying like that to keep it in place!

Feeding baby one handed and not having to chase a bowl across the table!

The sloped interior surface is great for getting every last bite out and the spoon-shaped collection point is wonderful for keeping those precious bites on the spoon!  Thank you for that, Barbara Schantz!

Sounds perfect, right?  Well.. I do love our Baby Dipper dearly! 

If I could make any changes though..  I would like to see Baby Dipper offered in more color options and I wish there were "toddler sized" utensils as an option.  We don't use the fork because it's just too small for my daughter.  Other than that.. the Baby Dipper is perfect!

SO.. how would you like to win your very own Baby Dipper bowl?  Barbara has been so nice to offer one of you a bowl of your own!

[Please Note: Previous winners of Baby Dipper Bowls sponsored by Baby Dipper, LLC are not eligible to win again.]

Mandatory Entry: 

Tell me what state you're from and where you'd like to see Baby Dipper sold at near you!

Additional Entries:

1.  Follow Baby Dipper on Twitter (1 entry)

2.  Sign up for the Baby Dipper Newsletter (1 entry)

3.  Subscribe to the Baby Dipper blog (1 entry)

4.  Follow me on Twitter..leave your Twitter name in comment (1 entry)

5.  Follow my blog publicly (2 entries .. please leave 2 seperate comments)

6.  Add my button to your blog and leave a link to where I can find it (1 entry)

7.  Tweet about this giveaway and leave your link to your tweet. (2x per day/ must be at least 2 hrs apart) (Please leave a seperate comment for each tweet)

Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win. Email address in comment or email address visible in your blog profile.

Giveaway ends Sunday, April 11th at 10:00PM .(CST). I will use random.org to determine the winner and notify the winner via email. The winner will also also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.

Good Luck!!

Kissaluvs Antibacterial Pail Liner!

So.. about a month ago I was having some SERIOUS issues with my cloth diapers.  They were getting really funky smelling.  Not just stinky...not just smelly... they were down right FUNKY!  The ammonia smell was ridiculous!  So I finally had to break down and strip my diapers.. again.  It doesn't help that Nebraska is cursed with hard water. 

In my head I begin to wonder WHAT IN THE WORLD is causing these issues.  I mean yes.. we have hard water.. but I know for a fact we're not the only inhabitants of the entire freakin' world cursed with hard water!!  I was my diapers every other day.  I use the appropriate amount of soap.  I do an entire cold wash cycle, HOT wash, cold rinse..yadda yadda.  So what's the deal?!?!  So I begin reading and researching.

I read that pail liners can be a cause of the stinks.  They hold odors and bacteria just like diapers do.  My current pail liner (at the time) was about a year old and had housed MANY a disgusting diaper..especially back when I didn't have a very good wash routine.. oops.  SO.. I started looking around for a pail liner that could help me out with keeping the stink under control.  That's when I came across Kissaluvs Antibacterial Pail liner!   I contacted Kissaluvs and had the pleasure of working with Heather who offered to send me a liner to review!

The Kissaluvs Antibatercial Pail Liner is " Made from a high quality PUL (poly urethane laminate) fabric with a special anti-microbial effect*, the Kissaluvs Antibacterial Pail Liner lets your diapers sit another day or so, worry free, without collecting gunk! The special finish also helps reduce unpleasant odors and protects against the spreading of health hazardous bacteria which can sometimes collect on soiled diapers."  So I tested it out by using it straight out of the packaging.  After tossing in 2 days worth of diapers, it was wash day.  BUT.. I didn't wash the liner!  I wanted to put it to another test.  Could it.. WOULD it really not smell after having 2 loads of diapers in it without being washed?  Well... 2 days later I did another load of diapers and after tossing the diapers in... I stuck my nose down into the liner and believe it or not.. I still have my sense of smell!!  (Now with my other pail liner I wouldn't dare do that!)

So what makes this liner so different??  It has been specially treated with SILVERPLUS® antimicrobial effect!

Moisture in diapers is ideal biosphere for bacteria, which exploit the organic content of the moisture. The degradation of this exploitation is associated with unpleasant odors. SILVERPLUS® silver ions which are embedded in the fabric in a resistant-to-washing and dry-cleaning manner, without using a binder or adhesive system, protect against the spreading of health hazardous bacteria and form a reservoir to counteract odor. Many products with antimicrobial effects migrate from the textile onto the skin to then attack it. SILVERPLUS® has developed its antimicrobial effects exclusively on the textile surface. The hygienic effect develops on the textile, leaving the skin fully functional. This has been confirmed by the independent test institute ITV Denkendorf.

Likes:
Leak-proof
Durable
Lots of room for those stinky, wet diapers (can hold several dozen diapers)
Affordable (costs less than $15)
Keeps a lot of the smell associated with dirty diapers away! (I dig that!)

Dislikes:
The liner is only available in white  (I'm a woman who loves bright and bold colors and prints)

As you can see.. there's not a very "valid" dislike that I have with this liner.  I recommend it to anyone who asks about liner recommendations and I will always sing praise of this liner to any listening ear.  So get one. You won't regret it!

Thank you Kissaluvs and Heather B (of Kissaluvs) for allowing me to review such an awesome product!  All words in italics are from the Kissaluvs website (http://www.kissaluvs.com/antibacterial_pail_liner.php) and all other words are my own and of my own opinion. 

You (might) live with a toddler if...

Old pots and pans live amongst the toys most of the time...

Pretty pink potty chairs and a toy "eating" turtle have taken up residence in your bathroom...

The toys are always growing and overflowing.....

Sticky hands are being cleaned off all day and every day....

But the messy eating that causes the sticky hands is just sooo stinkin cute...

When dancing along with your shadow is entertaining for... well... a long time!..

When feeding yourself yogurt becomes body art.. or something along those lines!

When that messy little face is the most perfect little face that you love more than words can explain!

Life with a toddler...

It's never dull.

SmartKnitKIDS Review

It may be a "secret" to some.. but for those people who have lived with me..trust me.. it's no secret. I HATE sock seams.  I don't like the way they feel against my toes.  I don't like when my sock gets twisted (even a tiny bit) and the seam then runs crooked across my toes.  I just don't like it.  Now.. does Kylee complain about her socks with seams? No. She's too young.  But.. when I was asked by Rose from SmartKnitKIDS if I wanted to do a review of their socks, I jumped right on it. Why?  Because SmartKnitKIDS makes seamless socks!  It's true. Socks with no seams.  (My dream come true!)

From the SmartKnitKids website:


"SmartKnitKIDS® patented seamless socks are perfect for children experiencing sensory processing differences, hypersensitivity or who simply can’t stand annoying seams! These super soft socks for sensitive little feet will not wrinkle or bunch and are proven to reduce irritation."

I asked for the size small ankle sock for toddlers.  I asked to be sent a pair in either white or pink.  Well surprise! .. Rose sent me 2 pairs of white and a pair of pink.  I told you.  She's a total sweetheart.  It was also perfect timing because they day they were delivered to us I just happened to be doing Kylee's laundry.  So she actually got to wear them to bed that night!  (Did I mention how fast the shipping was?!  Like 2 days later kind of shipping.. and I dig that!)


So.. what are the likes and dislikes I have for these socks?

Well... let's start with the good.

PROS:
* No seams!!
* They really “hug” the foot which reduces wrinkling
*No sweaty feet at the end of the day  (the material these socks are made with actually wick moisture AWAY from the foot!)
*They are also anti-microbial, inhibiting fungal odor-causing bacteria.  (Who wants to deal with yucky fungal bacteria junk?)
*The Halo Top™ keeps her socks from slipping down her leg
*The "No Heel" design means that I can put the sock on pretty much any way I want.  (Which is very helpful when you're getting a toddler dressed who doesn't want to cooperate!)

CONS:
*I am a huge fan of color!  And I wish there were more color options

*They do leave slight marking on my chunky legged girl. But, not NEARLY as much as the regular socks do.  With other socks she'll get a deep red imprint on her leg.  With these socks it's barely there and it's usually only after she's worn them 13-14 hours to sleep in.

So my overall opinion is that these socks are GREAT!  We'll be buying more in the future and hopefully there will be a few more colors to choose from!  Thanks SmartKnitKIDS, you've made fans out of us!

Duo Diaper Winner!!

With a whopping 347 entries (woohoo!) .. random.org chose number 198 who was...

Amanda said...

Made a purchase #10


February 26, 2010 6:55 AM

Congrats Amanda, you have 48 hours to return my email or I will have to draw another winner.  Thanks for entering everyone!!  Have a wonderful weekend!

THIS is our future?

So while driving home from work this morning I heard something very disturbing on the radio.  Very. Very. Disturbing.  Was it some raunchy lyrics to a trashy song that makes you cringe just hearing it? No.  Was it some racist, sexist, or derogatory joke? No.  Britney Spears attempting to sing? Definitely no.  It was the radio peeps talking about a local public school district here.  Apparently, said school district has adopted the same thought process of many other school districts.  They are changing their grading policy in the schools.  To what you ask?

WELL... you don't want to do an assignment? Dont. You'll still get a 50% instead of that "0" you should have gotten.  If you jot out a few answers that could actually be right you get a 65%.  While that's still a failing grade (70% and above is passing) I couldn't believe what I was hearing!  My daughter isn't school age yet..but it now makes me cringe thinking about her going to school.  REALLY? You don't even ATTEMPT to do an assignment and you still get a 50% for it? Well that... that is absolutely bullshit   crazy  wonderful.

So what is this asshat backwards ridiculous policy called you ask? The "No Zero Policy".  Basically the reasoning behind it is that giving a student a "0" on something just discourages them from trying in the future.  They're saying a "0" on something is hard for the student to come back from in terms of their grades.  WELL HERE'S a CRAZY idea.. why don't you actually try on something.. study..ask for help.. accept tutoring.. so you don't get that "0" ? 

It just boggles my mind that the school district has put this policy into action.  Is this really what we want to teach our children?  That they'll never totally fail because we'll always be there to provide some sort of cushioning?  That when they put in barely ANY effort they still won't totally fail?  That they will still get rewarded with some sort of grade (even if it is just 65% and still a failing grade) even if they don't try their hardest?  It disgusts me.  If you don't put forth the effort and try your hardest and you get a "0".. then you deserve that "0".  Period. The End. No questions asked.

It doesn't really make me nervous for my daughter or future children because we are always going to instill in them that trying your hardest with give you the greatest reward.  But it just makes me sad that their classmates are still getting "rewarded" in a certain way for doing absolutely nothing.  It makes me nervous thinking into the future that these kids are going to be the ones out there working in the real world.  In my real world.  It's not a very pretty picture.  In the real world..you don't give much of an effort or performance..then you get fired.  So while they're attempting to "cushion" the feelings of these kids and attempt to help them succeed... they're only hurting them in the end.

Hmmm.. I wonder if I don't put in any effort at work if I'll still get 50% of my paycheck...

OH, and have I mentioned how glad I am to be a taxpayer whose money goes into supporting this crap? .. Suh-weet!!

(Hopefully private school hasn't adopted this asinine method of thinking when Kylee is of age to go to school...)