She was so adorable but also very small to already be walking, so I asked her father how old she was. When he told me she was 12 months old, my jaw dropped!
I couldn't believe it. I thought, "Oh my gosh. She's 12 months old? When did she start walking?"
I was a first time mom, and I had no idea babies walked that early so I was rather surprised.
That's when I realized my baby hadn't even learned how to crawl yet, and she may not start walking at 12 months or anywhere close to it.
It took a long time, but nine months later she was walking!
Looking back, I see the process could have been a little easier.
For starters, putting her on the floor to let her explore and learn to crawl would've been helpful. I also never used a baby-walker with Bella. So, the only walking practice she received was when she finally had a chance to cruise around the furniture or when we held her hands for support.
I now wonder how helpful our short spans of supporting her in such an uncomfortable position actually were.
I can't help but think her balance would have improved a lot sooner if she could have used her arms and learned to balance (in the video taken at 17 months, you can see she is quite wobbly).
Before this review, I never thought of ideas for supporting a baby learning to walk, but now that I've tested The Juppy, I see it as a great solution for moms like me.
Not everyone buys a baby-walker on wheels and there have been reports of baby-walkers on wheels not being safe for babies.
Being present and supporting your baby is always the best option, because it is the safest, but it also takes a lot of bending over.
Having a Juppy baby-walker will allow baby to walk around hands free being supported by a sturdy carrier and straps held by mom or dad. Thanks to its design, bending over is no longer necessary to support babies as they walk around. It's beneficial to everyone.
A convenient feature of The Juppy is that it's compact, made of sturdy canvas with adjustable straps, and fits inside almost any bag. So you can take your baby-walker anywhere.
It can come in quite handy for any parent!
Sponsored by The Juppy. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free for the purpose of reviewing the mentioned product and/or doing a giveaway. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
As you know, I have two small girls and like every other mom I have struggled with my kids during meal time. They want what they want, but I want to give them what they need.
They cry, I tear, we hug, and sometimes they even get their way. (shhh, happens to the best of us)
It's a cycle!
Some moms seem to have been able to come up with great solutions to prevent this from happening and I am all ears, all the time.
We all need to hear ways we can encourage good healthy eating with our children and I am excited to have Liza Huber, mom and inventor of Sage Spoonfuls, share her approach to getting kids to eat!
Check out this guest post and discover new ways to get your kids to eat too:
Instead of mealtime being an enjoyable time to bond with our families, the dinner table often becomes a battlefield. How did it happen? How do we prevent it? And what do we do if our kids are already picky?
While I have some theories as to why kids become picky eaters, I think it’s more important to discuss how we prevent it and how to deal with it.
While I have some theories as to why kids become picky eaters, I think it’s more important to discuss how we prevent it and how to deal with it.
The best way to prevent your child from becoming a picky eater is to feed him homemade baby food from the start, because it’s about the experience. It’s about teaching him that food is yummy and mealtime is something to look forward to.
Babies do not need to eat bland food. They are far more adventurous eaters if given the opportunity.
Store bought baby food is usually bland in color, taste, texture and the smell is rarely as enticing as homemade. Babies who are fed a consistent diet of this food have a much higher chance of becoming picky eaters. They become so accustomed to eating bland food, which they don’t enjoy very much, that they are less eager to try new tastes and textures.
Unfortunately, this pattern often continues into the toddler years and well into childhood. On the other hand, babies who are fed a consistent diet of delicious homemade baby food often grow to become adventurous eaters who make healthy choices for themselves without even realizing it.
This is not to say kids who are fed homemade baby food won’t go crazy for ice cream, cookies and chicken nuggets on occasion, it’s just that getting them to eat well isn’t a daily struggle.
If your child is already a picky eater, the best way to combat it is to get her involved.
If your child is already a picky eater, the best way to combat it is to get her involved.
Take her to the grocery store, let her pick out fruits and veggies that look good to her and involve her in the preparation process at home. Tell her about each food and how it helps her body grow. Let her throw veggies into a salad , stir the soup or grab ingredients out of the fridge or pantry.
While you are slowly breaking your child of being a picky eater, become a sneaky chef.
Most kids love pasta and here are things you can do to make it healthier.
- Choose whole grain pasta such as whole wheat or kamut over nutritionally inferior white flour pasta.
- Tomato sauce is actually very healthy, especially if it’s homemade. If using store bought, choose an organic brand.
- To boost the nutrient value of the sauce, try adding pureed lentils, butternut squash or broccoli and top with a handful of antioxidant rich dried oregano. They’ll never know it’s in there, but you will.
By involving your child in the process and making mealtime fun, you can combat picky eating one meal at a time.
*Be sure to stay posted to The Chatty Momma for my review of Sage Spoonfuls, invented by Liza, coming soon!
I recently had the pleasure of reviewing two awesome iPhone accessories by ZAGG from InvisibleSkinz.
ZAGG invisibleSHIELD
Created from an ultra-tough, patented film exclusive to ZAGG.
ZAGG Skins Seamless protection for your device without the need for an external case.
I chose to use the products on my iPhone 4s, but there are many devices that can be covered. Some of the most popular mobile phones that can be covered are:
Watch my video to see how I applied the two ZAGG products and what I think about them!
ZAGG Skins and InvisibleSHIELDS can be purchased for most products in these categories:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free from InvisibleSkinz for the purpose of reviewing the mentioned product and/or doing a giveaway. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
No strings attached...a brand new camera just for you.
Of course you're probably thinking that would never happen. Folks don't just give away cameras on the street.
Well it did happen!
To show how easy it is for everyday people to take amazing pictures, Olympus gave over 1,000 people a brand new Olympus PEN® E-PM1 camera.
It was all part of The PEN Ready Project!
Over 1,000 people
6 cities
What did over 1,000 lucky people do with their brand new Canon Olympus PEN® E-PM1 cameras?
Check out their amazing photos at www.penready.com
So...what should you do if somebody walked up to you on the street and gave you a brand new camera?
Accept!
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| Isabella bundled up and ready to travel with her Kiddie Catch All |
I don't ever recall traveling by car on a trip. We only traveled by plane. That meant short travel times, a meal, and even hot towel service. That was always exciting and so much attention from the flight attendants kept me very busy.
I was pretty spoiled.
As a matter of fact I didn't take my first real road trip until I was 18 years old and away at college.
It was the best time I ever had in my whole life. It was then that I fell in love with taking road trips, and I knew that I wanted to take many more.
Eleven years later I had my first daughter Isabella. When she was about nine months old a business trip at work came up and since I was nursing, I decided to drive from Nashville, Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia with her in tow. Since it was just under three hours I thought everything would be fine.
It was the worst road trip ever!
The trip to Atlanta with Bella took seven hours. At that point I realized that road trips may be fun, but definitely not when you have kids. My second child confirmed that feeling as soon as she was born.
Car rides can really turn kids into monsters! (Moms, you are not alone it happens to me!)
My kids turn into real life monsters in the car. I'm not sure what comes over them.
Hunger, boredom, brattiness? Perhaps!
There have been days when there were tears from our door all the way to our destination.
So as a loving (annoyed) mom, I try to figure out ways that we can ease the boredom, feed the hunger, and calm the bratty behavior down of course.
Fortunately I have found a product that really helps out a lot.
The Kiddie Catch All
Inside the basket you can fill it with whatever it is that you or your child may need throughout your trip.
For my oldest daughter, Isabella, I like to put coloring books, crayons or markers, and a few snacks inside her Kiddie Catch All.
For my youngest daughter, Gabriella, I may put in extra Pull-Ups, a couple of snacks, a reading book and maybe a stuffed animal or toy.
I've also used the Kiddie Catch All for meals. Sometimes it's really hard to serve food and drinks to kids, even when the car is parked somewhere. The kids won't have any food and crumbs between their legs annoying them even more.
The Kiddie Catch All is great, because the net can be removed and washed.
Having a Kiddie Catch All for kids helps to keep them entertained or occupied with all of their favorite things at their reach. That's actually the most important feature of this product. Most cars do have seat backs with pockets that can contain children's books, crayons, etc. The problem is if they can't reach them, they aren't happy!
I use our Kiddie Catch All so often that I can't see not having one around, even for a short ride to the store. It has definitely made car trips much more enjoyable for me and my kids.
Happy Travels!
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free for the purpose of reviewing the mentioned product and/or doing a giveaway. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
"Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays,
For no matter how far away you roam -
When you long for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
For the holidays - you can’t beat home, sweet home!"
Don't you just love that song?
There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays has always been one of my favorites.
Every year no matter where I was living, I always made sure I came home to my parents house for Christmas, and I've always been home with my family on Christmas day.
The most important thing to me has been being surrounded by my family and celebrating the holidays with them.
Growing up I enjoyed visits with both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all on Christmas day!
But as I have gotten older the word "home" has a new meaning for me. I used to only think that Christmas was to be spent at my parents home with my brother and sister, but I have my own family now.
Christmas starts with us in our home first!
And lately I have been wanting to spend the Christmas holiday away from home. I've never done that before.
I don't want to be away from my family, because I'd love everyone to be there, but there are so many places a family can spend Christmas.
I am over the thought that Christmas is only well spent inside your own home!
I think it's great that people vacation in warmer climates during Christmas, and I would love to take my family on a Disney vacation for the holidays one year.
So next year, for the first time ever, I am going to plan for my family to to enjoy Christmas away from home.
I do believe that home is where the heart is and home is where your family is.
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| Hubby (then boyfriend) visits Virginia for Christmas 2002 |
As long as we are together we will definitely be at home on Christmas, no matter how far away we roam!
It's Christmas time, and nothing says Christmas like a candy canes!
So, for this episode of "It's Snack Time" with Isabella Sanders, she has prepared a delicious Candy Cane OREO Parfait.
It's quick, easy, and fun for the kids to make!
Thanks to Katherine, our special guest on the video, who participated in the making of this yummy treat.
Snack time with a friend makes it even more enjoyable!
You will need:
- 1 Pkg JELL-O Candy Cane Pudding Mix
- 2 Cups of Milk
- 1 Bag of Mini Oreo Tuxedo Cookies
- Whipped Cream
- Peppermint Chocolate Morsels
- 4 Candy Cane Sticks
Now, watch Isabella and Katherine show you how it's done!
Enjoy!
It's Friday, and you know what that means.
Yes, it's "Family Movie Night" at the Sanders' home!
I'm really excited about tonight's movie, because I reserved it early at Redbox.com, and when hubby goes to pick it up, I don't have to worry about not getting what we want.
It's guaranteed to be there!
We've waited a long time to watch this film together, so I can't wait to let the kids know that tonight's special feature is The Smurfs!
I hope they're going to love it!
What is your family watching tonight?
Here are some ideas from the "Top 10 Family Rented Movies" at Redbox this past week:
- The Smurfs (2011)
- Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World
- Cars 2
- Zookeeper
- Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer
- Rio
- The True Story of Puss 'N Boots
- Winnie the Pooh (2011)
- Rango
- The Littlest Angel
Enjoy!
Today, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar went in for their routine pregnancy check up, hoping to find out the gender of their baby, only to be told that there was no heartbeat or movement. Such sad news!
My heart goes out to them.
Of course they were very excited. They were planning to pick names with their other 19 children when they returned. Instead they had to break the news to the kids that they had suffered a miscarriage.
As a mom who has suffered through two high-risk pregnancies, I know too well the complications that can surround a pregnancy.
It's so unfortunate, but I know that Michelle and Jim Bob are believers in Christ and are receiving plenty of comfort during this difficult time.
My prayer is that they will continue to be the best parents to their children and grandchildren and continue to let God use them as amazing teachers and role models.
"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28
Photo: stupidcelebrities.net
Have you purchased your Holiday cards yet? Fortunately, this year I got a head start and bought our custom Christmas cards back in October.
I'm always late getting around to sending mail, if I ever send it.So, starting early was a must!
I really love custom cards, because they add such a personalized touch to any gift or greetings I send. I also enjoy receiving them from friends and family, because that's the one time during the year that I get a family portrait or the children's photos to display.
If you're like me, you should definitely take advantage of the sale Vistaprint is offering.
They have custom cards on sale for up to 80% off and there is still time for you to send them out!
For $15, you get a holiday-card package (up to a $78.68 total value) that includes:
- A set of 30 custom holiday cards in any single style (4"x8" flat,
- 5"x7" flat, or 5"x7" folded) with white envelopes (up to a $43.99 value)
- Photo uploads (up to a $4.99 value)
- Backside printing (up to a $4.99 value)
- Full-color inside printing (up to a $4.99 value)
- 140 return-address labels (up to a $7.99 value)
- Premium card stock (included)
- 14-day shipping (a $11.73 value)
For $25, you get a holiday-card package (up to a $103.68 total value)!
For the rest of the savings details on these two great offers, check out the Vistaprint Custom Holiday Card offer now!
Happy Shopping
So, I am extremely excited about the new Muppets movie (in theaters now).
America's favorite puppets join each other once again in a family friendly movie fit for everyone!
Check out the new Muppets Movie trailer.
I can't wait to take my kids to see this movie as well. I can tell they're going to love it!
Photo: The Movie Pool
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| Watergate Salad Pie |
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes. I'm posting it, because no party is complete without Watergate Salad.
Normally I present this dessert in a clear bowl, but hubby loves his with Graham Cracker pie crust. He barely eats any at all without it.
It's so quick and easy and delicious. It only takes 3 short steps to make, so it's a perfect dessert solution if you're pressed for time.
I made this pie at 1:00 a.m. this morning, and by 2:00 a.m., it was on hubby's plate!!!
Enough said...
You will need:
- 1 Pkg of JELL-O Instant Pistachio Pudding
- 1 Cup of Mini Marshmallows
- 1 Can (20oz) Crushed Pineapple
- 2 1/2 Cups of Cool Whip Topping
- 1 Pre-made Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Steps:
- Mix all pudding mix, pineapple, Cool Whip, and marshmallows in a large mixing bowl.
- Fold mixture into pre-made pie crust
- Refrigerate 1 hour
Enjoy!
Lately, there has been a lot of talk in the news about men's engagement rings being a sign of the times.
Today, more and more women are doing the proposing and (some) mostly likely will be expecting their future husbands to wear an engagement ring just as it is expected of women.
Some argue that this is the man's way of proving his commitment.
I've read a lot of feedback on the issue and notice that some men feel the need to "run the other way," if faced with this situation.
It's almost as if it scares them. These forceful women scare them!
Personally, I see nothing wrong with male engagement rings. In fact, I kind of like them, but that wasn't something I would've asked my husband (fiancé at the time) to wear.
It's not necessary!
The issue of him not wearing a male engagement ring shouldn't make or break the deal any more than me slipping my wedding ring off.
It's all about the commitment of the heart!
I think this issue has a lot to do with women feeling like they're openly proving their commitment to a man, who shows nothing in return.
Why do men get to look single as if they're on the market, when in fact they aren't?
Is it fair? Does it matter?
The answer is up to each individual, but I'll leave you with this...
I didn't wear my wedding ring for almost two years (after giving birth). Hubby has never once taken his off!
Did he ever question my commitment to him? I don't believe so (he never said one word about it).
My husband knows my heart!
Wearing my ring doesn't change whether or not I am committed or married. People know just by talking to me. I am VERY married, no doubt!
A man's engagement ring doesn't mean he is any more committed than the one who's not wearing one.
It's a tradition!
Change it if you want to, but don't be fooled by what you think it means!
(PS. Rings don't deter other women, or anything else. Honest men do!)
Photo: maleengagementRings.net
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