Nuby Wacky Ware Review

It has only taken me almost two weeks to get a minute to write up this review between all the madness we have going on around here…which I will save for another post. :)

How cute are these awesome Nuby bowls? If I told you they were microwavable, would you believe me? Well, they are. I also had no problems with leaks/spills. 

Kellen enjoying his wacky ware!

One of the things I really loved about this bowl was that in the event (which is often) that Kellen didn't finish his food, it was a one step process to storing it. Just snap the lid on and put it away. No need to switch to boring ole' tupperwear.

It is also great for on the go families. My little picky eater won't eat a sandwich but he will eat spaghetti. This little bowl is perfect for storing messy spaghetti and allowing my little picky eater the option to have his spaghetti to go. Oh and again…it is microwavable. 

Kellen was very interested in the bright colors and exploring all the wackiness of the bowl. We are very pleased with Nuby's Wacky Ware bowl and it will definitely get tons of use around here.

More information about Nuby's Wacky Ware!

Wacky Ware™ Microwavable Bowl

• Perfect for dry cereal & baby foods
• Great for moms on the go!
• Seal tight lid
• Microwave safe
• Fun bright colors
• Great for children who are learning to feed themselves
• BPA FREE

Available at these retailers:

• Ross Dress For Less

Connect with Nuby on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date with all of their new products and promotions.

Check back for more Nuby reviews!!

*Disclaimer - I was provided a product for review as a Nuby Mommy Blogger. No other compensation was received. All opinions  are honest and 100% my own.

Nuby Clik-it™ No Spill™ Insulated Cool Sipper™ Review

You would think choosing a sippy cup wouldn't be such a hard decision, right? Wrong! I can't even begin to count the number of cups we've went through to find a few both Kellen and I approved. One thing I look for in a sippy cup is leak proof, Kellen is constantly on the go and usually in tow with him is his sippy cup. I want a cup I can trust I won't be running behind my toddler cleaning up spills. I also, need a cup that will keep his water, juice, milk, etc fresh and cool. Lastly, I want a cup that is easy to clean. I've found all of these things in the Nuby Clik-it™ No Spill™ Insulated Cool Sipper™.

Nuby offers several prints to choose from!

Kellen really liked the fun animals on his cup and would pointed to the animals and say their names.

The first few times we used the cup, was in the high chair. I wanted to be sure it didn't leak before I let Kellen run loose through the apartment.

After successfully having no spills in the high chair, Kellen was allowed to enjoy a snack on the couch with his cup while watching his morning Disney Jr.

Fits perfectly in his small hands. 

I'd say Kellen approves. :)

The Nuby Insulated Cool Sipper really exceeded my expectations and I actually plan on buying a few more. I've used cups in the past where it seemed like the lid was on tight only to find out moments later after you're cleaning up a spill that it wasn't. With this cup, you know for certain your lid is on tight due to the "clik" you will hear after successfully securing the lid. The cup kept liquids cool, spill-proof, and super easy to clean. 

More information:

Clik-it™ No Spill™ Insulated Cool Sipper™

• Transitioning to open cup drinking!
• 18 months +
• 9oz/ 270ml
• Insulated base keeps drinks cooler for, longer
• NEW one piece No-Spill™ soft silicone rim
• Touch-Flo™ Technology, that activates as soon as your child puts their mouth on the spout
• Leak Proof Technology that you can see and hear!
• Hear the “click” know its locked!
• Endorsed by Pediatric Dentist Dr. Grace Yum
• BPA FREE

Available at these retailers:

• Target
• JC Penney

Connect with Nuby on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date with all of their new products and promotions.

Check back for more Nuby reviews!!

*Disclaimer - I was provided a product for review as a Nuby Mommy Blogger. No other compensation was received. All opinions  are honest and 100% my own.

Nuby Foam Bath Letters and Numbers Review

The boys absolutely LOVE taking baths so imagine the excitement of new bath toys! I've recently became a Nuby Mommy Blogger and had the opportunity to review these Foam Bath Letters and Numbers. 

Kellen had a messy breakfast this morning therefore he ended up in the tub as soon as he took his last bite of oatmeal. I thought it would be a good time to break out the new bath fun.

Of course they were a hit! Not only did Kellen enjoy sticking them to the walls but I love them as well. Since bath time is a fun time in our house this is a great opportunity for us to work on our letter and number recognition. The bright colors are patterns are super fun too. 

How cute is he? Oh and did I mention he recently turned two?

Usually we have a tub full of toys but he was content just playing with the foam letters and numbers. He never once reached for our bath toy bucket. 

He really did love sticking them to the walls, knocking them down, and re-sticking them again.

We're still working on our letters but he still likes to pretend he knows them and shouts out random letters. :)

This set is recommended for ages 18 months and up.  The Toddler is about to turn two-pinch me-and he seems to really enjoy playing with the letters/numbers and learning their sounds.

The Nuby foam Bath Letters and Numbers are an easy way to make bath time a fun learning experience.  The 36 letters and numbers float in the water and stick to the walls when wet.

Where to buy:

• Meijer
• www.BuyBabyDirect.com

Connect with Nuby on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date with all of their new products and promotions.

Check back for more Nuby reviews!!

*Disclaimer - I was provided a product for review as a Nuby Mommy Blogger. No other compensation was received. All opinions  are honest and 100% my own.

Breakfast Cupcakes

Every good food idea always starts with...I was browsing Pinterest!

I came across these while looking for some new breakfast ideas for the kids. We have a lot of fruit and oatmeal and while they don't mind it...I wanted to give them a little more variety which brings the Breakfast Cupcakes into play. 

Preheat the over to 375
Daddy has duty today making it just the boys and I, so we only made a half batch of pancake batter. We chose to use blueberries and bacon to mix in the batter. 

Be sure to spray cupcake pan with Pam to keep it from sticking.

1 scoop of batter in each. I used an ice cream scooper.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, top it off with a little butter and syrup and you've got a yummy breakfast cupcake. 

I used a cupcake pan since I was making these for children but you could use a muffin pan for larger cupcakes, or even a small cupcake pan for a bite size cupcake. Baking times will vary depending on the size of the pan.

Talon approves!! :) Kellen on the other hand isn't feel well this morning and is my picky eater so he refused to try it.

I'm not a big breakfast person but I even had a cupcake. I would have preferred mine to not have any blueberries in it so maybe next time I make it, mine will be only bacon. You could also try adding different nuts or other fruits. 

Triumphs and Trials

I became a Mom at the young age of 22. I am the oldest of five and at one point I had two step-brothers. You would think this would set me up for becoming a mother, right? Sure, it helps but nothing prepares you for becoming a mother except of course...becoming a mother. 

© Dayna Stevens Photography

Talon knew his ABC's by 2 1/2 and could even recognize the uppercase letters. He could count to 10, knew all his shapes, colors, and much more. When he started preschool last fall, I thought he was ahead of the game since he already knew so much. 

Talon didn't finish pre-school because we PCS'd 2 1/2 months before the school year ended and I didn't want to put him through too much change by switching his school once we made it to Florida, so he started summer vacation a little early.

A few photos Talon's pre-school teacher took during class.

The end of last week was an eye opener for me after attending open house. I went expecting to hear how well my child was exceeding. His teacher passed a handout to all the parents and the first thing on the handout was talking about everything Talon should already know. I'm not sure if Pennsylvania school systems are behind on their curriculum or if Talon's pre-school failed us but there were several things that Talon did not know. 

After the first few weeks of pre-school I considered switching him to a different school and I wish now I had done so. Anytime I showed concern to his teacher, she always assured me he was doing great. He never came home with activity sheets working on his letters, numbers, site words, etc. He mostly brought home sheets of paper with scribble drawings or scraps glued on them.

A few of Talon's pre-school creations.

This is where I should have stepped in. If his pre-school teacher wasn't working with him on these things, I should have been. This is where I failed as a parent. I have a hard time working with Talon on these things since I am Mom and he doesn't really want to do these things with me and it turns into a fight. I'm not a teacher and I am still learning how to be a parent even though my son was 4 years old at the time and now I am learning how to be a teacher too.

So for the next couple weeks Talon and I will be working on our letter sounds, recognizing lower case letters, writing our letters correctly both upper and lower case as well as numbers 1-20. 

I've searched blog after blog, site after site for ideas on how to keep him interested and I am feeling really good about it, we will do this...together. 

Came across this great site for FREE printable worksheets!

When everything was first brought to my attention, I was angry. Angry with his pre-school teacher, angry with his current teachers, angry with the school system. It took me time to realize the only person I should be angry with, was myself. I am Talon's FIRST teacher, I am his MOTHER. 

I'll post updates throughout the next couple of weeks on how things are going. Since last Thursday I already feel like we've come a long way.

These lowercase letters are driving Talon crazy. On the bright side, if he joins the Navy...he will do most of his writing in all caps. ;)

Kellen has even joined in on the fun with learning the sounds each letter makes. Teaching two at the same time.

Do you have any fun ways of making learning interesting for a child with a short attention span?

A Seusstastic First Birthday for Kellen

Before Kellen was born I already knew we would have a Dr. Seuss first birthday party meaning I had plenty of time to plan. We had recently joined a play group and would actually have friends to attend our party since it wasn't likely our families would be able to visit since we lived so far away. I scanned Etsy for HOURS looking for a reasonably priced birthday invitation that I could print on my own. FINALLY I came across little forests. I had these printed professionally and paired them with some super cute recycled brown paper bag envelopes from Mind The Wrap. 

See above for link to Little Forests Etsy shop if interested in purchasing.

I found the perfect birthday shirt at Lil Threadz Clothing. We loved the shirt so much that we ordered our 2nd birthday shirt already which I will blog about sometime in October.

At 10 1/2 months old Kellen finally got his first tooth and was teething like crazy as you can tell from all the drool. lol

Had I thought about it when I ordered his shirt, I would have had it say "1 I AM" instead just to go with the Dr. Seuss theme. Regardless I still loved the shirt as well as everyone else. I even had another friend order the same shirt for her son's 1st birthday. :) So if you're looking for an awesome unique birthday shirt. Definitely check out Lil Threadz!!! 

I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest because I find so many great ideas and gorgeous parties but realistically I cannot afford to spend 500+ on a birthday party like most of the parties on Pinterest. Being a photographer I was able to barter my services with Cakes by Design for Kellen's Seusstastic smash cake and cup cakes. We had our friends sign the Dr. Seuss's Happy Birthday Baby book. I've seen other use the other Dr. Seuss Happy Birthday book but I thought this one was more appropriate for a 1st birthday.

Here are a few photos of the snacks/food.

Green Eggs 

& ham

One Fish, Two Fish
Red Fish, Blue Fish

I also bartered my services for this banner along with a few other I used for photography props. The girl doesn't run a shop but if interested, I can give you her email.

Our friends and family spoiled Kellen with lots of party loot!

It was also game day so of course we had to show our love for our team! GO RAVENS!! p.s. we won our game that day. ;)

Unwrapping one of the many birthday gifts!

No matter how much planning goes into a party, I always feel like I forget something. It was pretty windy at the party and our balloons ended up getting away, I didn't take nearly many photos as I wanted. I wrapped board books for all the children as a party favor. I chose board books since I figured it was something they could actually use. It really drives me crazy going to a party and leaving with a bag full of things that I will end up having to pick up broken pieces from for the next couple months. Most of the children were close to a year old or had just turned a year old so the books were age appropriate. 

Audrey with her party favor!

The cupcake liners and paper straws (not pictured) were purchased from shoppe3130 on Etsy.

I hope you enjoyed Kellen's party and maybe even found a little inspiration. I've tried to include links to where most things were purchased from.

Subscribe to my blog, we're having a Toy Story 2nd birthday party in October and there is lots of adorableness going on already. 

Kellen was excited to be turning one. I took this photo a few weeks before his birthday to prepare for his 1st birthday photos.