Keepin it Neat...

The holidays typically bring in a lot of new stuff into your home.  For an organizing freak like me, this can be stressful.  Most of us barely have room in our homes for what we already have.  I spend a lot of time looking for new cute ways to store things in my home.  Most of my time is now spent looking for cute ways to store my son's toys.  Here are some of my favorite options:)

Sabrina Basket with chalkboard label

Galvanized Buckets

Pysslingar  Trunk

Kusiner Storage Baskets

Saved By The Cube

I Could've Bin a Container

Skip Hop Storage Bin

See organizing can be fun and cute:)  These are storage items that you will want leave on display!!

The Most Exciting Invention Ever!

Recently I was sent a Net Zero 4G Hotspot to try out, and then share with all of you.  It could not have come at a better time.  With my husband's illness and preparing for the holidays, we are spending a lot of time away from the house.

My son and I have had to sit at the hospital for hours at a time, one day we were there for over 18 hours.  Do you know how hard it is to find things to do with a toddler for that many hours?  That is why many of my recent posts have been about items for the car, or to use when waiting at appointments.  If I find things that work for us, you bet I am going to share them with you!

I have a cellphone, but can not afford a high data plan.  Also I am sorry but I hate typing anything more than a text on those touch screen buttons.  I am not sure how some of you do all of your online stuff on them;)  So many times I had to skip blog posts, or wait to do my banking etc.. until I got home.  Well now that I have my Hotspot and Net Zero Broadband, everything is different.

I am able to do my blog posts, check emails, online shop and more all from the comfort of my car...or in the sand at the park :)  The hotspot is the size of a cocktail coaster, and does not weigh much more, so it is easy to take everywhere.

It takes seconds to connect to the internet, and the connection is as secure as the one you have at home. Actually if you get a hotspot, you do not need one at home anymore.  You can do all of your online needs with your Net Zero Hotspot.  You have the ability to connect up to 8 wifi enabled devices, isn't that amazing??!!?  All I can think about when using mine, is why couldn't they have invented this sooner?  Especially when I was in college, and had to hand write my papers at the library or on the lawn, and then go home and spend hours typing it all out. (For you younger readers...I went to college in the 90's before lap tops...can you imagine the horror??!)

Now I know what you all are thinking...this device does sound great, but I don't want another bill or contract to deal with.  Well that is what makes Net Zero so appealing, there are NO contracts or commitments.  They don't just say this, they are serious.

Right now their 4G Broadband service is available in 80 cities, with more on the way.  They have a few data plans to choose from, including a free option.  Yep free!!  They offer you the chance to test out their service for free.  Another feature that I love about their service, is that you have the ability to adjust the speed of your connection.  By using a lower speed (when you are doing things that do not require a high speed connection, such as downloading a video), you are able to save yourself more service for that month. (their plans are calculated by MB/GB usage).  I will not lie I do not know much about these things, however I can tell you that their service works just as well at a lower speed.

My Net Zero Hotspot and service has taken such a weight off of my shoulders.  It gives me so many more options while I am out.  My son and I can watch movies, sing along to Elmo and Yo Gabba Gabba (one of my son's favorite things to do...luckily he does not realize how bad my voice is yet), pay bills, etc...

We all have so much to do, why not find a way to make things easier?!  That is why I am so excited about the fact that I get to share this gift with one of you!!

One lucky Little Orso Reader will win $300 worth of Net Zero Products and Services. (4G Hotspot and 3 months of service).

There are a few requirements needed to win; you must be at least 18 years old, and must live in the United States.

Winner: Denise Pupo 







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 **Disclaimer- I am part of the Mom it Forward blogger Network. Mom it Forward and Net Zero partnered in support of this campaign.  Net Zero compensated me for participation in this campaign.  However, all thoughts and are my own.

 

Things I Don't Need, But Definitely Want:)

AKA things that my husband doesn't agree that I NEED;)
...although I added a few this week that I think he would even want!!  Can you guess which ones??

Handle Bar Grips

Polaroid attachment for Iphone (my friends that tease me for using my Polaroid still sent me a link to this lol)

A clutch for your bike:)

Bike Chalk Trail- You need sometime fun for their bike too;)

Good Wishes Maternity Voodoo Doll- I could have used one of these!!

Ipad arcade (I guess I should put an Ipad on this list first;) )

Construction Plate

Do you have a list of thing you want like this??  Items that you don't quite need, but know that they will make your life more fun:)  What is on your list??

Chop, Chop, Chop!!

A while ago I wrote about one of my favorite items, my Boon Drying rack:)

I mean seriously could it be any cuter??  Well now I have a new favorite item from Boon, their Slicer.

Meal time can be such a handful, especially when you only have one hand and limited time to prepare it.  This Slicer makes things so easy!!  It cuts everything into perfect "kid sized" bites.  I wish I would have discovered this product, back when my son first starting eating "big kid" food.  However I still have to watch the size of his bites, especially since he tries to eat too much at once. 

The last 2 months have been so much easier, since I got my slicer.  It is also great for traveling, and going out to eat.

Just like my drying rack, this item is not only for babies...it makes a great chopped salad:)

Dinner Date!!

Going out to eat is such a production when you have a little one.  I have to bring his silverware, snacks, his tray, sippy cup, and something to distract him.  If I keep everything organized, we do pretty well.

However we started relying on the fact that every place would have a highchair or booster seat to use.  Unfortunately that is not always the case, and you can't really get around using one.  We can try to hold him on our laps, but that usually means the meal will be anything but enjoyable.  We have a highchair with a detachable booster seat, but some meals out are not planned.  We obviously can't leave his highchair in the trunk.  So I started my hunt for something portable, yet still safe.

After a lot of research, we decided that the Brica Fold N' Go Travel Booster was the way to go. 

It is soft, and made of fabric that you can easily wipe clean.  The seat boosts my son up enough, so that he can reach the table.  It is also very safe!  There is a 3 point harness to secure him to the seat, and then the seat straps firmly to the chair.

It says that the seat is safe for children up to 40 pounds, and the straps are adjustable.  But my favorite part of the seat, is how easy it is to fold it up and go.  It collapses so small, that you can easily store it in your trunk...and you will not knock into people as you walk through the restaurant. 

The key to "restaurant gear", is finding a way to bring everything that you need without looking like "Cousin Eddie." :)

Fairy Tales for Hope ♥

About a month ago a friend of mine sent me an email asking me if I had seen Fairy Tales For Hope, they sell fairy tale prints for stillbirth awareness?"  I immediately went over to the site and fell in love!!  It combines so many things that I love; fairy tales, reading, art, infant loss awareness, charity...

I knew right away that I had to order a print, and contact them about featuring them.  I ordered a "Three Bears" print, and sent them an email.  I immediately heard back from Sally, who was thrilled to have us feature them. She also mentioned how busy they are, and that some prints were actually already selling out!!  I figured I better squeeze them in to my schedule in the next few weeks.

So here they are Fairy Tales For Hope.  The organization was started by Sally and Simon Heppleston, who lost their daughter Hope in August of 2008.  They decided to sell fairy tale prints, because reading fairy tales was something that they had looked forward to doing with their daughter.  They have 31 different images to choose from (although by the time this post goes live some will be sold out), and they were all done by the talented artist Tonia Composto.  The proceeds go to Stillbirth Awareness, and research.

You do not have to be a Baby Loss Parent to appreciate these prints, or even a parent.  The prints are absolutely stunning.  I would have loved to have decorated my apartment in them, back in my "single days".  They are great for kids' rooms, dens, schools, doctors' offices, bookstores, clothing stores...basically every where!!  They are also very affordable, and they ship worldwide:)

Head over to their site and check them out today, they will not last long!! 

Good Things Come in Small Packages!!

Some of the items that have helped me the most with raising my son are the smallest.  Here are some of my recent favorites...

Hopefully they can help you too:)

Oxo Tot Straw & Sippy Cup Cleaning Set

The brush on the far right cleans everything!!  You can literally squeeze it into any nipple, straw, or top.  Cleaning sippy cups and bottles became a lot more enjoyable the day I bought this:)

Dapper Snapper baby and Toddler Adjustable Belt

It is impossible to find a belt for little ones (sold separately anyway).  I searched everywhere, and finally stumbled on these.  It is not a "full belt", you attach it on the back of your child's clothes and it pulls the waist in.  It is great for when they are a little in between sizes.  I wish they made them for moms!!

Nuk Graduates Kiddy Cutlery

When my son started eating solids, we bought soft tip spoons for his gums.  As he has gotten older and started feeding himself, we needed something a little easier for him.  I can not say enough great things about these spoons (they also make forks and knives).  The handles are easy to grip, and do not stain like some other brands do.  Since getting these my son has gotten really good with feeding himself.  Before a lot of food would spill off the side of his spoon, and he had trouble holding it straight.  These are the perfect size and weight for little hands:)


What are some of your favorite "small items"??

Little Orso Council "Go To" Items...

  
Little Orso Council Feature


Back in June, I shared one of my favorite items in the world.  The item I run to multiple times a day, my Dustbuster!!  I know I am still getting emails from people laughing at me, but I swear buy one and see how many times a day you use it...then we will see who is laughing;)

Today I am going to share a few of our Little Orso Council Members' go to items.

Amy- We LOVE Lush Shampoo Bars and Body soap. We love that their products are handmade, smell amazing, and all ingredients are listed up front, so with our many allergies in the family and gluten free diet we know what is in our products. Their bath jellies are super fun too -- its like jello you wash with. Remember they look pricey but a little goes a LOOOOOONG way. My son with all the allergies uses the Trichomania shampoo bar from head to toe. It's cured his scalp issues and also along with diet keeps his eczema away no steroid creams needed.

Jessica- Our 3 iPads for sure. Guaranteed 30 minutes of peace for me while I clean up breakfast or dinner, and have my daughter do her breathing treatment twice a day. Before this it was chaos while I tried to clean up. The kids call them TVs and say "TV time" in 3 very excited voices. I can get them to clean up whatever toys are out before TV time (much tougher with anything else). They used to get frustrated when they couldn't do what their "neighbor" was doing. I stopped getting involved and just asked the other kid to help him/her and they really enjoy helping each other out. They're recent video from our new camera has been a big hit on the iPads. Today they turned them off on their own when I asked..yay...they all got an 'obeying' bean (our reward system).

Misty- I really like the baby mesh feeders. I put fruit in them and my little girl goes to town. When she is teething I freeze grapes and watermelon. It soothes her gums and gives her a treat at the same time.

I love having our council share with us.  It is always fun to hear what other people love, and what helps them get through their day.  

Please share your "go to" items below.  I can't wait to hear what you love!!

 

Love, Love, Love- Just a Little Something For Fun:)

Sometimes it is fun to shop and buy things that you really don't need, but are just too cute to pass up.  Here are some recent favorites:)

Felt Food Lasagna- yummm!!

How cute is this felt lasagna??  I love all of the layers, and the different vegetables that she included.  The other foods at this store are just as cute:)

Zoo Playspot Interlocking Foam Tiles

This new Skip Hop mat is just too cute.  I know that there are a few options on the market (including the hardwood floor one we featured), but this one is great for little babies.  The colors and pictures are just so bold, and adorable.  It is great for those months that they love to stare and practice focusing on things. Toddlers can then have fun putting the tiles together, like a giant puzzle. It also would look cute under a craft table or sandbox. Skip Hop is a trusted company, so you don't have to worry about the materials used to make these tiles.

Crafty by Nature Art Clips

I don't think I have seen a cuter way to display artwork and good grades??  I also would love these if I still worked in an office, I could hang my "to do" list and projects for the day on them.  Somehow things hanging from a cloud just aren't as stressful:)

ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz.......

This is one of those items that I wish that I had bought when my son was born.  Anytime I feel that way, I know that it means that I should be sharing it with all of you!!

My biggest pet peeve with our swing, bouncy seat, or any other infant item was that the music would stop way too soon!!  I spent most of my time standing next to him, so I could restart the music on whatever he was resting in... And then those few glorious moments that I got to close my eyes next to him, were often cut short by the music stopping and him waking up.  Seriously who decided to make the music stop after 20 minutes??  Obviously not a new parent, that knows that once it stops the screaming usually starts!

My son is way too big for any of the items mentioned above, but we do still turn on music/white noise when he takes a nap.  It helps ensure our escape from his room, and drowns out the day time noise on our street.  However all of the items that we used, would end after 20-30 minutes.  One of the tools mentioned to correct middle of the night waking up, was white noise.  I decided that we needed to finally find something that played until I turned it off (aka all night long). 

After reading a ton of reviews, I decided on the Graco Sweet Slumber Sound Machine.  And now is when I ask you, why the hell didn't I get this earlier??  It is fabulous!!  There are 12 sounds, some lullabies some white noise (such as a stream, storm, whales...)  If you push the top, a soft blue light comes on.  It is supposed to be soothing for them, but it is also great for checking on them during the night.  There is a timer that you can set on it, but otherwise it goes until you turn it off.  So exciting:)  Everything that I was looking for and more...including an MP3 plug and storage spot and the option to plug it in instead of using batteries.  I am so excited about the MP3 plug, because that means we can use it during the day too.  My son loves listening to music while he plays.

The Graco Sweet Slumber Sound Machine is very affordable at $40.  So far I can not find one thing wrong with it, and he has been taking 3 hour naps every day since getting it.  I actually had to turn it off to wake him up last week.  This is one of those times that I am happy to live in a small home, we can hear it in our bedroom too:)  ...and it is very soothing to sleep to.

Buy one today!!  If you are expecting you will love me when your baby arrives, and you actually can sit for more than 20 minutes.  If you have an older child you will still love me, when they actually sleep through their nap/the night.  And if you don't have kids you will love me too, because this one is just as great as an expensive well known brand's sleep machine (actually better because of the light and MP3 plug).  And it is literally half of the price. (as you can see above they didn't make it very "baby" looking either)

Sweet dreams!!!

"You Wanna Make a Memory?"

So we already shared great school supplies and cool lunch time items...now it is time to hold on to the memories made this school year.  I still am a huge fan of these from Papier Coterie, but here are two other fabulous items for recording the big events.

School Years Memory Book

I love this School Years Memory Book from Land of Nod.  It has a page for every year from Kindergarten to 12th grade.  You can record the name of their teacher, friends, favorite subjects...and there is a place for the school picture.  The book also has pockets to store important things, like rewards or report cards.

I love the idea having all of the main details written and stored in one easy place.  It is like a "big kids baby book" :)

My Keepsake Portfolio

This item you can buy before they even start school.  It is called the My Keepsake Portfolio from Lakeshore.  It is a giant cardboard accordion folder, that is divided into sections (one for each year). You can save their artwork, and bigger projects in here. 

Since they start creating beautiful artwork before Kindergarten, you can get this one right away.  What a fabulous way to keep all of their artwork safe, and keep your home from getting cluttered.  I plan on ordering one of these today.

Lakeshore has a promo code for free shipping, when you spend $79+.  Just enter the code FREESHIP at checkout. This offer is good until 9/4/12.  They have a ton of other great back to school supplies!!

Lunch Time!!

So I already shared my favorite back to school supplies!!  Now it is time to focus on my favorite part of the school day...Lunch!!!

Let's start with the actual lunch box.

In the past I have mentioned my love for these and these (and the love I had for my own Dukes of Hazard lunchbox, back in the 80's).

However here are some of my other favorites:

Brown Paper Bag

Birdhouse

Carried Away Lunch Bag

Rover Complete- I love how you can customize this one & it keeps everything separate

Sandwich Lunchbox

Then you need some great accessories to make your lunch with...

Itzy Ritzy Reusable Snack Bags

Hold The Crust Sandwich Cutters

Personalized Thermos- "Traditional thermoses" are not easy to find

Made with Love Sandwich Bags

Dino Freezer Friend

I don't know about all of you, but all of this talk about lunch has made me hungry!!

Bon Appetit!!

Be Prepared!!!

After our earthquake last week, it reminded me that I need to check my emergency supplies.  I tend to be one of those overly prepared people, but it doesn't hurt to double check;)

In California, we are always preparing for an earthquake, power outage due to heat, or to escape a wildfire...however I know that every area has their own things to prepare for, and most include power outages. 

I figured that I should do a post on children's flashlights, and hopefully remind people to check their own supplies.  Everyone should have a flashlight next to their bed, including children.  Even if they are too young to use them now, you may be in with them when the power goes out.  That is why I bought my son one, the week that he came home from the hospital.

Flashlights are also great for night time reading, ghost stories, making shadows on the wall, and exploring:)  Basically you can't go wrong with buying one or a few of these!!!

Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Bibi Bee (This is the exact one that my son has)

Fisher Price Kid Tough Explorers 2 in 1 Lantern

Little Tikes Glow & Speak Animal Flashlight (these actually make animal noises)

V-Tech Spin & Learn Color Flashlight

Learning Curve Chuggington Flashlight

Ecotronic Hand Crank Children's Flashlight (these are great because you power them up yourselves & they do not require a battery)

John Deere Roll N Go Flashlight (these make noise and move)

There are so many basic options out there too, in case fun flashlights are not your thing.  Just make sure that you take a second to grab one for every room in your house, and if you already have them check your batteries!!!

Be safe!!!