Urban Mama

Four Of My New Favorite Things

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer about the limbo situation we're in (which is dragging on and on, but all we can do is pray and wait), so I've decided to write a completely frivolous post about a few of the things I've grown to love this summer.

• Pretty Whimsical's Scrabble Pendants: (see photo above!) I was collecting items for a housewarming care-package for a good (and much younger and stylish friend), when I read one of Pretty Whimsical's tweets about her latest Jane Austen-themed Scrabble-tile pendants. I clicked over and immediately fell in love. She was running a buy two get one free promotion, so I bought a Mr. Darcy's Girl pendant for my friend, an I love Mr. Darcy pendant for myself, and as a bonus, the above Keep Calm and Carry Chocolate pendant for my Hershey's sponsored train trip to BlogHer. I've received a ton of compliments, and they are just the cutest and most affordable accessory I own. Really, they're $6.95! Just keep some Super Glue on hand, in case the tile separates from the bail, but at that price, I'm willing to do some TLC. My female friends and family should know you are very likely to receive one for your birthday or Christmas stocking stuffer this year!

• The family iPad: It's not all that new, but the iPad is the best gadget ever. All five of us play on it daily. This week we've used it like this: the toddler counts animals, the Schmoopette reads along with an amazingly multimedia Alice in Wonderland, the Schmoop plays Plants vs. Zombies, my husband developed an app obsession with Worded and Historic Earth, and I check my email, watch movie trailers and go online to do everything from shop to look up recipes to figure out which hotel to stay at when we're in Europe for our 10th anniversary next summer. It's definitely a splurge, but it has been used so much we feel the cost was justified. ($499-$829)

• Fresh lip balm: I was in San Francisco visiting my lovely editors at Common Sense Media and while strolling around Union Square, it dawned on me that I had zero makeup on. Nada. Usually this doesn't bother me, but I could hear Mami's voice whispering in my ear: "You're walking in one of the greatest cities in the world! Ponte pinta labio!" It was way too early for proper lipstick, so the Fresh manager saved the day by recommending their tinted lip balm. It's got SPF and gives you a "just-kissed" glowy look that's not plumping or over-the-top, just more of what God already gave you. I love it; I just wish the packaging weren't quite so thick. But that's a minor concern for an amazing lip balm. I have it in Sugar Rose and the brand-new Sugar Plum ($22).

• The IGo charger: I received it for free at our final DC Metro Moms party, and it's one of the best goodie bag items I've ever gotten. It's so useful I bought two more tips. Tips, you're asking? It's a universal charger, and it can charge any device as long as you purchase the proper tips. I needed one for my iPhone (which was also given to me), but then I bought one for my Jawbone Bluetooth and another for my husband's BlackBerry. It was a life-saver at conferences or during that tour of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, when you're going to be out all day and have no place to recharge. ($39.95 for charger; $5-$10 for tips)

Photo credit to the amazing Jean, of Stimeyland fame.

Full disclosure: As I already mentioned, the IGo was swag, but everything else was paid for by yours truly.

Back to School Must Have: Mabel's Labels

My five-year-old, aka the Schmoopette, and my two-year-old, aka the Schmoopadoo, are heading off to college kindergarten and preschool in just a couple of weeks. While I trust my daughter to distinguish what's hers and what's not, my little one has a speech delay and sometimes has a hard time communicating. Since his two-day twos program will be full of fellow grabby tots, I (and every other parent at the co-op) have been asked to label ALL his belongings.

Enter Mabel's Labels. I bought labels from them ages ago when the Schmoop went off to pre-school, but since then used a Sharpie or, more often than not, plain forgot to write anything in the older kids' backpacks, lunch boxes or clothes. It's no surprise, then, that the kids occasionally came home with the wrong coat, hat, water bottle or pencil box.

If my older two, who could talk circles around the chattiest of chatterboxes (I know, because I am one!), lost track of their stuff or didn't speak up when they were given someone else's things, how much more is my quiet two-year-old going to lose his little school supplies? But that's not gonna happen, because we have the Ultimate Back to School Combo, which comes with:

• 50 Tag Mates^™ 
• 40 Skinny-Minis^™
• 16 Shoe Labels
• 2 Teeny Tags^™

The Teeny Tags are perfect for pencil or lunch boxes; the shoe labels are self-explanatory and will especially come in handy for the Schmoopette's ballet slippers and tap shoes; the Tag Mates go on clothing tags; and the Skinny Minis can go anywhere from books, pencils, crayon boxes, Tupperware, water bottles, and you get the picture. Now I can send the Schmoopadoo to preschool with one less worry on my mind. But I'm fairly sure even that peace of mind will not keep me from crying when I drop him off that very first day. I predict it will be the first-timers and me crying, with the middle-child moms laughing at all of us!

The lovely folks at Mabel's Labels have agreed to send one of my lucky readers their own Ultimate Back to School Combo (retail price, $44). To enter, leave a comment by midnight E.T. on Friday, Aug. 27th. Share a time your kid accidentally lost something or came home with a classmate's belongings, because items weren't labeled. Or, if that's never happened, go to Mabel's Labels and tell me which design you'd choose for your kid's combo. One entry per person. I'll (randomly) choose a winner on Saturday, Aug. 28th.

Full disclosure: I received two review sets of the Ultimate Back to School Combo for the Schmoopadoo and the Schmoopette, who start pre-school twos and full-day kindergarten in two weeks. However, anyone who has ever met me (or any other movie critic, for that matter) knows that seeing or getting something for free doesn't mean I'll like it!

Product of the Week: (Edible) LUSH Soap

Sometimes a crawling 11-month-old just can't be stopped. Yesterday while I was in the bathroom, I put baby J on the floor with some toys and left the door open, so he could still see me. Next thing I know, he's crawling into the bathroom to say hello. I chat with him a little bit and then watch him crawl up to the shower stall. Before I could say "Charmin," baby J had a mouthful of soap in his mouth.

LUSH's Porridge soap (left) has tiny little oats that fall off as you lather up, so my shower had a bunch of tiny pieces of soap lining it (I know, yuck, but I hadn't motivated myself to clean the shower and figured the pieces provided a nice little scrub for the soles of our feet). Realizing his little treat wasn't very tasty, baby J began to cry, creating a slobbery, sudsy mush around his mouth. By then, of course, I had washed my hands and was busy wiping his mouth. Thank goodness we use LUSH, which is made of natural ingredients, rather than some harsh, potentially toxic alternative. 

So, if you're like me and have a baby who loves to eat off of the floor, or if you're one of those old-school parents who employs the "Christmas Story" method of discipline, I recommend LUSH soap.

All of my LUSH soaps were paid for by yours truly, and my favorite kind is Honey I Washed the Kids

Product of the Week: MilkBank System by DexBaby

I don't review every product I receive. Lately I haven't even bothered with reviews because I haven't felt up to it. I don't want to waste my time writing about something I feel blah about, so when DexBaby sent me their new breastmilk storage system MilkBank, I was skeptical. Having pumped my milk for all three of my kids, I've tried dozens of bags and bottles and trays (breastmilk popsicles anyone?), and only a couple didn't leak or frustrate me.

What MilkBank provides, however, is actually useful -- a vacuum pump system that not only saves milk for longer than the average 4-6 months but reportedly keeps it fresher than just storing it in a bag or regular bottle. By eliminating the oxygen trapped in the bottle your expressed breastmilk is in (you attach a vacuum pump to a cap, give it a quick few pumps and  you're done -- well, first you detach the pump and put the bottle in the freezer), your milk stays safe for a lot longer. That's important for breastfeeding mothers who have to leave their little ones with caregivers for work.

Pros:

• Vacuum-sealed breastmilk retains the taste and nutrient content of milk
• Milk stays fresher for a longer period of time
• No leaks (at least for me)
• Insulated feeding bottles (sold separately from the storage bottles) keep thawed milk warm, since you can't microwave breastmilk
• All components are lead, phthalate, PVC, and BPA free
• Affordable (starter kit is $24.99, but 3-packs of storage bottles are only $9.99)

Cons:

• You can't pump directly into the bottles
• Vacuum pump adds an extra step before freezing bottle
• Bottles have extra parts (vent straws), but so do other popular bottles like Dr. Brown's
• You must buy MilkBank bottles/caps for the pump to work

Regardless of what breastmilk storage system you use, pumping and saving your milk, while not easy, is the key to a successful breastfeeding relationship when you work part or full time -- or just want a day or date out without your baby in tow. Happy breastfeeding!

Urban Mama Recommends: Earth Mama * Angel Baby Products

A few weeks before I gave birth, I read about the Earth Mama * Angel Baby product line and was excited to try them for myself. The Oregon-based company specializes in organic, phthalate-free labor, postpartum, breastfeeding and baby products. I was especially eager to use the Natural Labor Companion CD and Labor Ease Kit during my homebirth. Unfortunately, because baby J was 18 days early, I received the shipment of goods two days AFTER he was born. As it turned out, my birth was so relaxed and fast I wouldn't have had much use for most of the items, so I called EMAB and was told I could return any unopened products for a merchandise credit. That was good news, since my husband swears this is our last baby.

Although the labor products weren't opened, I knew the postpartum items would still come in handy even a couple of days late. Here is a list of my mama-tested, mama-approved EMAB goods*:

Earth Mama Bottom Balm: I did not have any perineal tears, but any mama who has experienced a vaginal delivery is sore and swollen down there. This herbal salve (no petroleum by-products, no parabens) feels a bit like Vicks on your fingers, but it is so much better. It definitely makes your bruised and sensitive parts feel tingly. It heals and cools, and it's all-around a must-have for any mama after a vaginal birth.

Postpartum Tea: I am a picky tea drinker. Not in a snobby way; I just find most tea too bitter, so I end up putting too much milk and honey in it, which masks the taste. But my husband insisted I try this one straight. It's actually quite good, but I still put a teensy dollop of honey in my cup.

New Mama Bottom Spray: This is my favorite postpartum product. It's a cooling spray made of witch hazel, antibacterial lavender, and peppermint essential oils. I sprayed it all over my sore bits and also on my maxi pads. I am still using it, just for kicks. If I were ever to have another baby (which is unlikely, but since many of you might still have a baby or two in your future), I would pre-treat a bunch of maxi pads and then freeze them before delivery.

Organic Baby Shampoo and Body Wash: We don't give baby J a bath every day but when we do (actually, in our house, the husband bathes the baby and then passes him off to me as I wait with the hooded towel) we use this mild shampoo & body wash. It's got a self-foaming pump, since the castile soap itself has no foaming agents.

Angel Baby Bottom Balm: I use this every day, especially after the baby had his first diaper rash. It's a rich and creamy balm, and you only need a little bit to go a long way. Plus, it can be used with cloth diapers, which is a relief. So far, so good.

*These items were purchased for my birth and postpartum recovery