Moe' Yoyo Mommy?

A few weeks ago we got a coupon in the mail for some Yoplait Kids products thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network. I've seen them before in the supermarket, but honestly I usually spring for that other 'Yo' brand yogurt for kids and babies. The main reason for that is that I can't stand when a product has licensed characters plastered all over the packaging, and these Yoplait products seem to be Nickeloden's whore. Dora, the Backyardigans and Blue's Clues adorn every container. However, the claim that they have 25% less sugar than the leading kids yogurt and are supplemented with DHA always caught my attention, so I was glad to give them a try for free! 

I picked up the drinkable yogurt in mixed berry flavor and the yogurt cups in vanilla/banana. The drinkable yogurt was a huge hit. I tasted it, too, and I found it to be pretty yummy. As an added bonus Sam was able to drink it through a twisty straw. It's actually a double bonus because not only does he love it but it's good for his speech therapy! 

The yogurt cups went over well, too. We usually mix yogurt with some fruit and cereal. The banana and vanilla flavors lend themselves to this very nicely. The texture was smooth and Sam gobbled them up.

One thing I really liked is that when you visit the Yoplait Kids site you can get all of the nutritional information for each different style and flavor of yogurt. 

Because Sam isn't a huge milk drinker (unless it's chocolate milk, of course) it's very important that he gets calcium from other sources. He likes cheese, but he loves yogurt. Since these yogurts contain less sugar, they are a plus. However sugar is still the second ingredient in most all of the flavors.  I would love it if they made a plain yogurt as well since we usually just mix our own flavors with fruit purees, but these are a nice, quick snack. Plus they are a little cheaper than that other 'Yo' yogurt brand I usually buy.

And I know they are a big hit because I constantly receive the request for 'Moe' yoyo Mommy!' after every helping! 

I'm So Savvy!

Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network, The Savvy Source for Parents and Leap Frog, a few weeks ago Sam got a fantastic new present in the mail. It was a Leap Frog Tag reader, and from the first moment he simply adored it. The way this fun little gadget works is really cool. It looks like a thick pen, which is easy for little hands to hold. Once you install the software on your computer you can download books onto it just like an ipod. But it doesn't just read the book. When you touch the tip of the book to the pages it can read them or you can use it to play games! Our package came with three books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, one of Sam's absolute favorites. He loves it so much that he's barely even looked at the other two. As an added bonus to moms and dads, it has a headphone jack so it would be a great take along item for a plane or car trip.

The Leap Frog is working in conjunction with The Savvy Source for Parents on this outreach. The Savvy Source widget you see over there in the sidebar is filled with questions about your preschooler. Once you complete the quizzes (there are 8: visual arts, language development, early science, music, early math, social skills, movement and coordination, and orientation in time and space) you are given a list of games, toys and activities that would be useful for your child's development. The quizzes don't take too long, but you can save you results and finish later if you get overwhelmed. The list items range from activities suggested by other parents (which are usually FREE) or things you can buy.

We tried several activities, but Sam's #1 favorite involved sorting and counting M&Ms. I had him separate them by color and once he counted each pile he was allowed to eat them. I'm sure you can figure out why he liked this one! Also, since we already had a few of the books recommended in the visual arts guide, we focused on them at bedtime.

Finally, the part of the Savvy Source site that I really think has the most potential is the pre-school assessment quiz. When choosing Sam's current school we had to really just go with our gut after touring and meeting with staff members from different places. On the Savvy Source page parents can answer questions about their child's school for something of a data base. Once enough data gets collected this will be an awesome online resource for parents when choosing schools.

By the way, if you are interested in running the Savvy Source widget on your blog, drop me a line at cheeseparty@gmail.com. You could make a little bank from your blog!

Get the Scoop on Diaper Goop

Right around the time of Lucy's six month check-up she developed a nasty looking diaper rash. We had the pediatrician take a look, and while he wasn't worried, he did suggest trying a few things to help clear it up. First he said to try an over the counter anti-fungal cream, because she had a fungal rash nearby, even though they didn't look that similar. If that didn't work he suggested an over the counter antibiotic ointment. Well, two weeks later she was still all rashy. Luckily we had agreed to try out (that is, I agreed to experiment on their bums in the name of science) a cool diaper cream called Diaper Goop for the Parent Bloggers Network a few weeks before and the package had just arrived!

I opened the first jar and examined the contents. Diaper Goop is a creamy yellow color and a little sticky because it's lanolin based. Which is, um, awesome if you are also a nursing mom like me! Not only can you use it on your baby's bum, but you can use it on dry nipples! I'm not currently suffering from that particular affliction, but I have had some wickedly chapped lips lately, and guess what helped heal those right up? Diaper Goop! They should call this stuff 'Everywhere Goop' because once I started slathering it on myself I couldn't stop. Crusty, winter hidden knees and elbows look fresh and new! My heels are as soft as butter! Flaky cuticles smooth as silk. Both kids currently have colds, and I've been using it under their noses to prevent chapping. Superb!

But how about the bums? Well, unfortunately Lucy's rash was a particularly tenacious bacterial thing that required a prescription, but since we've finished that up I've been using Diaper Goop on her every night as a precaution. And Sammy loves it. He actually asks to have his bum gooped before bed. Well, not so much 'asks' but when I'm putting on his overnight diaper he lifts his legs, points to his nether regions and says, 'Mommy, cream!'

We received a few extra tubs of Diaper Goop to pass along to friends, but I might be tempted to keep them for myself! Thanks PBN!

Mah Preshus Boi

We all love our children and think they are the most beautiful/intelligent/athletically gifted people in the universe. After all, aren't they a perfect blend of you and your partners' most glorious traits?

Don't you want to just eat him up?

But recently we've been dealing more with where Sam is lacking rather than where he is excelling. It took all this time, but we finally have a speech therapist coming next week to start working with him. For the duration, I was so focused on this one negative. But guess what? Sam has a lot of positives. He can sing along with any tune. He can finger paint with reckless abandon. He can whip up a mean plastic food soup for lunch. But the thing I think he's best at is loving.

Yes, he may have trouble with telling me how much he loves me, but he shows me in a million ways every day. First of all, one of the only words he speaks clearly is 'Mommy' which he calls out all day. Frequently he says 'Mommy' while he makes the sign for 'I love you.' Talk about heart melting!

But it's not just me. He loves everyone. When I pick him up from school it takes us 15 minutes to say goodbye because he. Must. Hug. Everyone. Including Max, who never wants to be hugged. Then he must blow everyone kisses. Then he must say 'Bye bye' to every single person. And they all love it! Except for Max.

I frequently hear him mumbling to himself while playing. When I listen closely (and because I know his secret language) I hear him naming all the people he knows and loves. It goes like this most of the time:

Mommy
Dada
Yanni (Aunt Allison)
Pop-Pa
Nana
Yeow (our cat)
Oose (Baby sister Lucy)

And repeat.

So my little guy, while not the most talkative boy in town, might be one of the most lovable.

And god damned if he isn't cute!

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This post was brought to you by the Parent Bloggers Network and Jennifer Fox, the author of Your Child's Strengths. Visit PBN for all the details!