Strider Bike

 Recently, our big boy, who just turned 4 transitioned from a Strider bike to a big boy bike within 15 minutes of being introduced to the big boy bike, with NO training wheels.  I am still amazed at the super easy transition and give all of the credit to the balance which the Strider bike taught.  The bikes have no pedals and no training wheels.  Essentially, they learn to balance first and then they can "glide" or essentially coast on the bikes.  Eventually, they have balance which is good enough to convert to a big boy bike and that is what we have done now.  It is so cool!

 He started riding the Strider in earnest at about 2 1/2 years old and has been whizzing around on it ever since.  I think he could have made the transition last summer, but there was so much going on, we just never did.  I cannot recommend Striders highly enough!

Great Deal for Families!

I often have ideas for posts on Smaskens Mommy, but they all too often get noted in my notebook and then shoved off and replaced with some other task.  But, today I do have a post which I felt warranted my time, and could help some of you new mommies or soon to be again new mommies out!

When we were expecting Alex there was a baby registry deal on Amazon (which I posted about here on the blog) where if a certain amount of merchandise was purchased, you would get a bunch (like 6+months) of free diapers.  It was great and the best part about it, other than it being free, was that you could schedule regular deliveries of diapers, so you never had to think about it or run off to the store to get diapers.  Even after our free diapers ran out, we kept up the subscription with Amazon because it was so convenient and the bonus is that you get 15% off by subscribing!

Now, they have developed Amazon Mom, and with this program, you get the 15% off for the subscription, PLUS another 15% off of selected diapers/wipes (including Pampers, Seventh Generation, Luvs, Huggies, Earths Best).  So, basically 30% off of things that you need to buy and they are delivered to your door.  Even better, for the first three months of your Amazon Mom membership (which is FREE), you are given Amazon Prime shipping, which means that you get free two day shipping.  If Alex were still in diapers, I would be signed up, but our time with diapers has now passed and the big boy underwear are all the rage, something which I am quite happy with!

If you do decide to take advantage of the offer, if you feel so inclined, please click through on the graphic link (the cute little boy) above so that they will know that you were referred by my blog.  I appreciate it and wish you the best with the new little one!

Organic or Not?

Here's a link to a quick guide which shows which fruits and veggies are most susceptible to pesticides (the dirty dozen), making them more important candidates for buying organic. There is also a list of the fruits and veggies which are less likely to be contaminated (the clean 15) and therefore not as crucial to buy organic.

http://www.foodnews.org/EWG-shoppers-guide-download-final.pdf (Source: Environmental Working Group, 2009)

Pool/Bath Robe

I found a great blog on the Sew, Mama, Sew website while I was pregnant and just now am actually getting around to making some things from it. Sew, Mama, Sew is a fabric store with some pretty cool stuff. The brick and mortar store is located in Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, but they also have an online presence. Their blog is a fantastic resource for all kinds of crafty ideas for someone who loves to sew. They have great tutorials, contests, sew alongs and giveaways.

I had printed the tutorial for this pool robe (http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=526) long, long ago and a few weeks back I purchased a beach towel to inspire me to actually get started. The original instructions are designed for a 4-7 year old child, so I scaled it down to fit Alex (16 months). I made it long-sleeved, although the original is short-sleeved and I also added a hood, which I thought would be useful when the little one has a wet head. I used velcro as a closure, rather than buttons and didn't applique anything, but I am really happy with how it turned out. I will definitely be making more of these in the future with my adaptations. I think that the hood makes it particularly cute!

Random, I Know

So, I haven't written on this blog since October. That is crazy! It has nothing to do with a lack of material or wanting to, believe me. It is more because of a lack of being able to just set aside time, but tonight Alex cooperated and went down at 8:00, so here I am. I was thinking the other day of some really simple things around the house which I have grown to really like over the past few years. One of these products is tea tree oil.

Growing up I had acne forever and it seems as though I tried everything under the sun to get rid of it, only to have dry patches around big red pimples...not exactly what I was looking for. But within the past few years, I have found that tea tree oil really helps with blemishes on my face. Granted, I have far fewer than I ever did in the past, but now it seems that if I dab on tea tree oil with a cotton swab, as soon as I feel something coming on it helps to really minimize it. Also works great for mosquito bites, if you react the way that I do to them. It has qualities which lend it to being a good disinfectant, so probably not a bad thing to have around. It is worth a shot, for sure. I picked up mine at the local drugstore and I have seen the Desert Essence brand at Trader Joe's. I know, it is totally a random thing, but just thought someone else might benefit from the find.

Another thing that I love to keep on hand next to my sink at all times now is baking soda. I just keep a container of it full at all times. It is great for cleaning our sink which is cast iron with an enamel coating. Just a good cleanser for alot of stuff, like the stovetop, countertops, faucets. Mix it with a little water and you are good to go.

Finally, white vinegar is a handy standby as well. I have some in a solution with water in a spray bottle. Makes a great glass cleaner without the chemicals. You do smell vinegar a bit at first, but once it evaporates, no smell is left behind. Both the baking soda and white vinegar are so inexpensive too, so that is a bonus! No harsh chemicals and inexpensive and widely available. Who wouldn't love that?

Mom's Groups

As a new mom, you will soon learn that your whole life has changed--your activities every day, the amount of sleep you get in a given night, to the amount of love felt for another human being. Especially in the first few weeks and months, you are literally spending every moment of every day with your baby, caring and nurturing him and trying to run a household at the same time.

You will definitely need an outlet and support from others, which is why I highly recommend joining a mom's group. I started going to my mom's group after David went back to work, when Alex was about six weeks old. The one which I attend is free (which is a bonus) and is offered by Kaiser Oakland. We meet once per week and the format is quite free-form. There is a lactation consultant who is the moderator and each mom gets a chance to introduce herself and her baby and ask questions or just give updates on what is going on with them.

I am so happy that I tried out the group, because it has provided lots of advice, support and new friends for both myself and for Alex. Make sure you take advantage of the resources in your community. It is always helpful to have others moms to chat with, share experiences with, bounce ideas off of and have adult interaction with. Our group also has a Yahoo! group, so that we can be connected all through the week, regardless of time or place. I have also visited quite a few other mom connecting sites online which have been very useful when I have a question. Inevitably, someone else will have had the experience that you are currently going through and they will be able to give some advice.

Applying for Baby's Passport

In preparation for our trip to Japan and Hong Kong this Fall, we recently applied for a passport for Alex. After hearing about the backlog over the past couple of years, I wanted to make sure that we applied early to ensure that we received the passport with plenty of time to spare prior to our departure.

Surprisingly, things went very smoothly and the whole process was quite efficient. The U.S. Department of State website http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html is easy to use and has all of the information needed to apply for a child's passport. It allows you to fill out the form DS-11 using a "wizard", which is quite handy.

A few things to know, when applying on behalf of a child. You will need to get an official copy of the birth certificate, which can be obtained from the county courthouse. Also, both parents must be present when submitting the application, which basically safeguards against one parent applying for the passport and then taking the child out of the country, without the knowledge of the other parent. It looks like you can have a notarized form which allows just one parent to go and apply, but if you are going to get a form notarized, you might as well go to apply for the passport, right?

The photos have the same specific guidelines which they have for adults and these are outlined on the application and further on the website. Remember, if you are holding the baby, which we had to at the time, as Alex could not sit fully on his own yet, make sure that you have a white sheet covering your body and arms, so that the picture just has the baby and a white background. We took photos of Alex at home (cute ones, I might add) and had to get different ones taken, because a bit of my brown shirt was showing in the picture. Walgreen's did a great job and only charged about $7 for two photos.

So, where do you go to apply for the passport? Not all Post Offices take applications, so click on the link ("Where to apply for a Passport in the US?")at the bottom of the page noted above. If you put in your zip code, it will give a listing of places where you can go to submit the application. We went to a Post Office in Piedmont and they were very organized and helpful. One thing to note is that when I went to pick up the birth certificate at the County Clerk's office at the courthouse, I asked if we could apply there and was told that you cannot apply for the passport at the same location as where the birth certificate was issued. Just something to keep in mind.

So, when you go to apply, make sure that you have 1) application 2) 2 photos which adhere to the strict standards 3) both parents with IDs 4)a check for payment, actually, we needed 2 checks, one for the Post Office, for the processing fee and one for the State Department and 5) official copy of the birth certificate of the child.

All in all, the process went very smoothly and Alex received his passport two weeks later, which was great! Japan and Hong Kong, here we come!!