Music For the (Tiny) People

I swear that 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' by Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of AC/DC got me through some tough moments with a newborn.  Oh, the irony to hear that song on a xylophone, while addressing a Number Three!

Some of our other favorite albums for playtime are Bare Naked Ladies-Snacktime, Ziggy Marley-Family Time (we love the song "Walk Tall") and anything by Putumayo Kids.   

We are also into Ernie & Bert's Greatest Hits, Sesame Street Fiesta Songs, Cowgirl Sue- Giddy Up! Whoa!, Disney Greatest Hits Collection, and Laurie Berkner.  Need a soundtrack for toddler tantrums?  It's so much more fun when one can sing Justin Roberts-Meltdown (ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-meltown!). 

 
Let me know what your favorites are.  We try to keep it fresh (and so clean, clean!) in our household.

Disclaimer: I'm not responsible when you can't get Bananaphone or They Might Be Giants' Hot Dog out of your head.

Pregnancy on the World Wide Web

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I wanted all the information I could find (What was happening to my body? My emotions? Mywaaaaah!).   I signed up for the weekly emails from the American Pregnancy Association and Babycenter.   I devoured information from Dr. Sears.  I chose to take a Hypnobabies course and watched many births on youtube for inspiration.  

Nesting?  I got lost for hours on Project Nursery.  

I was (and still am) a podcast junkie.  I heard lots of great information from Pregtastic podcasts.  I also enjoyed a (free!) prenatal yoga routine from YogaDownload.com.
 
Unlike most women I know, I never hit information overload during pregnancy.  I hope these links provide you with helpful information when you need it.  This post certainly doesn't cover it all- so tell me, what are your favorite pregnancy resources? 

Picture Pages: Mo Willems

This week I was challenged by 'Fans of SCBWI' (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) on Facebook to "pick a successful writer/illustrator, whether you like their work or not, and write a blog post about what other writers or illustrators can learn from them."

 

When I'm reading to a child, I always enjoy stories that make my (and hopefully their) imagination soar.  When I'm brainstorming ideas for books, I'm always trying to think outside of the box. What's new and different?  What will entertain the little ones?  

One of my favorite authors and illustrators, Mo Willems, most famous for his Caldecott-award winning book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, has inspired me to do more than think outside the of the box, or book, but instead makes me want to think inside the book.  When I read any of the Pigeon series, I feel like I am a main character in the story, restraining that mischievous pigeon.  I recently read another one of Mo Willems' books, Big Frog Can't Fit In and was mesmerized by the brilliance of this story. This pop-up book features a giant frog that (when unfolded) literally is bigger than the book. Why limit ourselves to the dimensions of a storybook?    I hope to think inside the book more often in order to inspire the imagination of others as these books have done for me.   

Picture Pages: Big Board Books

Have you seen these big board books?  I recently picked up one of my favorites, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in the new "lap-sized" edition. It is so nice to read a regular-sized book, without worrying about little D tearing any pages.  Many, many other titles are available, including Mousepaint, Sheep In A Jeep, and The Napping House. 

Cloth Diapering Favorites

I LOVE cloth diapering.  Really, I do.  I was surprised by how many people tried to talk me out of it when I was pregnant.  Thanks to several yahoo groups, I've found that I'm not the only one who gets excited about talking about everything cloth diapering-related.

My #1 favorite diaper is the BumGenius Flip diaper.  If I had to do it all over again, I would buy 1 box of the organic ,  2-4 additional covers (or you could try 1 box of the stay dry), plus 12 additional gcloth inserts.  (That's under $150 for diapers, for babies 8-35 lbs!)  

I like these because they are:  economical- the covers are reusable (like pre-folds); customizable- you can put anything absorbent in the cover (including disposable inserts- like the gDiaper disposable/flushable/compostable inserts); easy to clean, fast to dry; has snaps (velcro wears out fast); and they are one-size.  I've had 3 leaks in as many months- a record for us, even compared to disposables!  My daughter even wears these at night without leaks! 

One of the cutest options are gdiapers, especially adorable now with their brand new diaper-coordinated outfits.  These diapers are also really versatile (cloth, disposable options) and their website/customer service is impressive.  On the downside, we have had numerous leaks and the velcro wears out quickly.

Before I discovered the Flip diaper, the BumGenius AIO Organic with Snaps was my favorite.  My only beef with this diaper is that it takes a long time to dry (a full day in the sun or 2 dryer cycles).  Other than that, it's a great option. 

FuzziBunz Pocket Diapers and BumGenius 3.0 are good options.  The FB diaper has snaps, the BG has velcro.  I have had a fair amount of leaks with these diapers. 

I bought a 5 pack of Kushies AIOs on a website closeout.  These were great during the time that they fit my daughter, but that seemed like a pretty short window.    

BumGenius Econobum is worthless!  My husband, a king of puns, likes to call them "The Econo-Bum-Me-Out" diaper.  The included absorbnt insert is terrible at doing its job, absorbing- we've had a leak every single time (and yes, I washed these 6+ times before using).  Spend $8 more dollars and buy the Flip diaper!

I'm really satisfied with our Flip Diapers, but I am intrigued about the Gro Baby diapers.  Has anyone tried these?  Or have another favorite?