Product Review: Kiddopotamus Placemat

Everyone always asks me about the Kiddopotamus Tinydiner Placemat, Green when they see me using it with Cody. I thought it would be a great post to let all of you know how much I love this product!!! If you know me, it comes as no surprise when I say that I am a germaphobe (is that a word??)!!! What I love most about this mat is that you can suction it to most surfaces and put your little ones food right on it!! No more remembering to bring your sanitizing wipes to clean off the table! This mat is reusable, it folds up super easy so you can fit it in your diaper bag or purse, it has a nice scoop chamber that the food falls in instead of your kids lap! It doesn't get much better than that!

Kiddopotamus Tinydiner Placemat, Green

For other great products that we love, check out our Product Spotlight Page! What are your favorite products you can't live without??

Family Fun: Books, Books & more Books!!!

Our boys both are LOVING their books right now! It seems like some days they choose books over toys to play with! Are you as bored as I am, reading the same books over and over again?! I can recite some of those books in my sleep! If you feel like you want to spice up your child's book collection, you have to check out the Scholastic Book Fair Warehouse Sale! They have so many books and most are super cheap! We went last year and went crazy!!! They have locations all over so click below to find a sale near you!

Click HERE for more details!

If you need some ideas on which books are best, we found a list that has been voted on by moms! Don't forget to utilize your local public library for FREE books! 


Touchy-feely

1. "That's Not My Monster," by Fiona Watt, Rachel Wells 
2. "Pat the Bunny," by Dorothy Kunhardt 
3. "Please Do Not Open This Book," by Jon Stone 
4. "Tails," by Matthew VanFleet 
5. "Oh, Baby! Go, Baby!" by Dr. Seuss 
6. "Where Are Maisy's Friends?" by Lucy Cousins 
7. "Noisy Kisses," by Barney Saltzberg 
8. "Little School of Fish," by Dorothea DePrisco 
9. Bright Baby Touch and Feel collection, by Roger Priddy 
10. "Peek-a Who?" by Nina Landen

Bedtime

1. "On the Day You Were Born," by Deborah Frasier 
2. "Goodnight Moon," by Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd 
3. "Where the Wild Things Are," by Maurice Sendak 
4. "Sleepyhead," by Karma Wilson 
5. "Pajama Time," by Sandra Boynton 
6. "Monkey and Me," by Emily Gravett 
7. "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed," by Eileen Christelow 
8. "Bedtime for Frances," by Russell Hoban 
9. "Llama Llama Red Pajama," by Anna Dewdney 
10. "I Need My Monster," by Amanda Noll

Life skills

1. Yes Yes! A Box of Board Books, by Leslie Patricelli 
2. Little Critter books, by Mercer Mayer 
3. Big brother/sister, by Joanna Cole 
4. Berenstain Bears, by Stan Berenstain 
5. "Where's the Poop?" by Julie Markes 
6. "Elmo's Potty Time" by Sesame Street 
7. "Clarabella's Teeth," by An Vrombaut 
8. "Bubblebath Pirates," by Jarrett J. Krosoczka 
9. "Getting Dressed With Lily and Milo," by Pauline Oud 
10. Richard Scarry's Please And Thank You Book
    

ABCs and other fun facts

1. "ABC," by Dr. Seuss 
2. "The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z," by Steve Martin, Roz Chast 
3. "One Was Johnny," by Maurice Sendak 
4. "One, Two, Three!" by Sandra Boynton 
5. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," by Eric Carle 
6. "Chicken Soup With Rice," by Maurice Sendak 
7. "The Grouchy Ladybug," by Eric Carle 
8. "Blue Hat, Green Hat," by Sandra Boynton 
9. "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," by Annie Kubler

Good reads

1. "The Story of Ferdinand," by Munro Leaf 
2. "If You Give A Cat A Cupcake," by Laura Numeroff 
3. "Knufflebunny," by Mo Willems 
4. "Pigs Make Me Sneeze," by Mo Willems 
5. "Corduroy," by John Stone 
6. "Duck for President," by Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin 
7. "Click, Clack, Moo," by Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin 
8. "Olivia," by Ian Falconer 
9. Curious George, by H.A. Rey 
10. "Scuttle's Big Wish," by Sean Delonas 
11. "Harold and the Purple Crayon," by Crockett Johnson 
12. "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day," by Judith Viorst 
13. "The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash," by Trinka Hakes Noble 
14. "The Little Engine That Could," by Loren Long 
15. "Where the Sidewalk Ends," by Shel Silverstein 
16. Grimm's Fairytales 
17. "Clifford the Big Red Dog," by Norman Bridwell 
18. Winnie the Pooh, by AA Milne 
19. "Elmer," by David McKee 
20. "The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear," by Don Wood

Special Events

1. "This Is Not A Pumpkin," by Bob Staake 
2. "A Grouch's Christmas," by Michaela Munstean 
3. "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!," by Dr. Seuss 
4. "A Birthday for Frances," by Russell Hoban 
5. "The Thanksgiving Story," by Alice Dalgliesh

Easy Reading

"Hop on Pop," by Dr. Seuss  

"Polar Bear, Polar Bear," by Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle 

"Little Bear," by Else Holmelund Minarek/Maurice Sendak 

"The Cat in the Hat," by Dr. Seuss 

"Mouse Tales," by Arnold Lobel 

"One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish," by Dr. Seuss 

"Cat the Cat, Who is That?" by Mo Willems 

"Yes Day!" by Amy Krouse 

"Morris Goes to School," by B. Wiseman 

"Oliver," by Syd Hoff 

Read Aloud

1. "Charlotte's Web" by EB White 
2. Paddington Bear, by Michael Bond 
3. "The BFG," by Roald Dahl 
4. "The Wizard of Oz," by L. Frank Baum 
5. "Little House in the Big Woods," by Laura Ingalls Wilder

We would love to hear what books are your favorites!!! Have any to add to the list above?! 

Wednesday Weekly Check-In: Girls Night Out

So, I made a trip to the Hallmark store last week for a few birthday cards and I ended up laughing out loud at the new line they've launched called, "On the edge of motherhood". It's hilarious - all of it. The cards, the mugs, the wine glasses!

Here's a few of the cards to make you smile today and remember we're all in this together! Give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work being a Mother!! Don't forget to take a small time out to yourself this week - even if it's just taking a long shower by yourself! (It's the little things!)

If you're looking for a fun night out with the girls see below for a FREE Mom's Night Out at Whole Foods in Mason!

Thursday, July 29^th  

Mom’s Night Out

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Cost: FREE

Mom's Night Out is an opportunity for local mothers to get together without the kids to socialize, relax, and be pampered.  We know it’s hard being a mom - you deserve a break! Great food, goodies, giveaways & drinks – what could be better! 

Whole Foods Market Mason

5805 Deerfield Blvd.

Mason, OH 45040

To sign up for a class, contact Paula Mangold at 513-459-6131 or paula.mangold@wholefoods.com

Healthy Living: Garden Update!

Since my last garden update things have been moving right along with all the veggies! It has been really exciting to see everything growing and I FINALLY have some red tomatoes ready to pick!

I just picked these from the garden today! We've had great success with the zucchini, tomatoes and we have big plans to make pickles with the cucumbers! One thing to note with the zucchini is there has been a bug going around and literally over night eating and killing the zucchini plants. It looks like a yellow lady bug - BEWARE! If you see them you need to get them off your plants ASAP to salvage them!

Another picture of the cucumbers - my only issue with these is how much these take over the garden! I have these in a garden bed with carrots, when you plant them just make sure as they're spreading they don't choke any other plants you have near by!

Green beans are looking great! We hope to can these as well!

Here's a picture of the potatoes - these have been super easy to grow, it's still a bit early to harvest them so the rest will stay in the ground for a while longer to get a bit bigger.

We want to hear about your garden adventures and what you've enjoyed most so far this year! Also, we want to hear about your favorite recipes for all your veggies! Send them here!

 

Are you looking for a FREE way to get innovative with healthy eating and cooking up all the yummy veggies of the season? Check out the details below for a FREE class at Whole Foods in Mason!

Wednesday, July 28^th 

Healthy Eating Cooking Class

6:00 p.m.

Cost: FREE

Join Brittany our Healthy Eating Specialist for delicious and easy dinner with recipes from the books that are the core of our Health Starts Here program Invite your friends and family to join you for this fun and delicious event! All attendees will receive delicious bites, recipes, and some healthy eating and cooking tips.

Registration
All classes are free unless otherwise noted but registration is required. To sign up for a class, contact Paula Mangold at 513-459-6131 or paula.mangold@wholefoods.com

Whole Foods Market Mason

5805 Deerfield Blvd.

Mason, OH 45040