Meet our two new hosts, Sarah and Ali, as we review 3 baby products that you won’t find at your standard chain baby store, 2 of which are specially designed for preemies but are also great for full-term babies.
Shelly discusses how to look at things in a different way and spell your family name with things around your house or in a building. Nancy interviews an expert on taking beach photos. Make sure you check out the photos on the website to see the great results and read comments from Steffani on her reactions!
These are Shelly’s Results:
These are our friend Steffani’s results and her comments about how this has helped her kids:
“I let them each child take the camera and find things around the house that could look like the letters in their first name. After they took the pictures, we edited them on our computer, cropping them so that the most important part was revealing the letter. It was a ton of fun. I have our last name one printed up in a small oblong frame and underneath “Packer” it says, “Home is where the most important things happen” because all of the things we used for our letters were found in our own home. I want to have their first names printed out in 4×6 and deco-page them to wooden blocks to put in their room. That part hasn’t happened yet. But . . . I have noticed that the kids (after doing this–even CY) are always pointing things out as we drive or go places. ”Hey, that looks like an M! or K!” I think it is helpful in their brain development and creativity to think outside the box.
If you happen to be caught in Snowmageddon, you might need a super-duper snow removal tool. Even if you are not in Snowmageddon, if you get snow each year, you need a good tool because let’s face it, more often than not a woman removes the snow (don’t know how that happened, but it is always that way around here).
Last year, Nancy started the search for the perfect tool and this year, she found one–a bit pricy, but worth every penny: The Masi Nova Snow Pusher. This innovative baby comes from Finland where they get tons of snow and it works WONDERS! First off, I used it on a day when we got 6 inches of snow and I was able to clean off my 4-car driveway and do the sidewalks in less time than my neighbor could snow-blow his 3 car driveway.
It takes a bit of a learning curve because you never lift the snow like with a shovel: You push it with your body weight to a location and dump it. So, my back never hurt. But, I designated a location to move the snow (we were building a sledding hill) and easily moved the snow to one location (the plow slides easily so you can move a large amount of snow without breaking a sweat). There is a so-so YouTube Video, but it shows you how it works.
Honestly, the Masi Nova is so much fun, that my hubby came out and tried it AFTER I finished the entire driveway, walk and sidewalk. He liked it so much that he did our neighbor’s driveway and the rest of the sidewalk to the end of the street. Then, the next day when it snowed, he got up early to be the first one to use it (no exaggeration). Now that is worth the $80 price tag right there if your hubby gets up early to shovel!
The snow does not stick to this plow and I hardly got a workout from using it because it was so easy. And it stored in our shed easily even though it moves about 5 times more snow in each pass as a shovel (it almost clears the entire sidewalk width in one pass).
You can purchase from the US-based Masi dealer (kari.t@finnsmart.com / Cell 917-518-4791 / Adress Kari Tikkanen / 138W 4th Str / West Islip / NY 11795) or you can search online and find it at several online stores (see Primo Shop for more info and pictures) .
There are other snow plows (also called scoops) made by other companies but I like this one for its size and durability. Even though it costs more, the construction means it will last longer than the cheaper ones. Also, other people use it for other yard chores like scooping the horse poop or gathering up branches. You will see in their comments (you can do a Google search for more info).
Shelly also liked the Masi Nova. She has a shovel she likes as well called the Blizzard Buster.
Getting your hands on this shovel is really hard to do, but Shelly swears it is wortht he $30-40 price. You have to know the model number to find one online ( SEY PP100). She likes it because it easily pushes snow out of the way without back pain. When Nancy tried it, it was very good for a shovel, but she is in love with the Masi Nova and won’t go back.
We discuss products that solve problems such as fear of monsters and nightmares, kids who won’t wear winter hats, getting stains out, creating family memories, calling hands free while driving, games for the family, and the way to keep your floor really clean. We talk to the mom-creator of Bye Bye Monster Shop and Sharon of Parent Tested Parent Approved.
Christy Matte About.com Guide to Family Computing discusses how to keep your child’s identity safe AND how to teach a child responsible internet use. Check her site for more Guides to help you learn how to keep your child safe.
Charlene Wells of My Memories Suite answers our questions about the product and we talk about our projects. Learn what you can do in minutes not hours and learn how to save 25% of retail!
Tricia and Nancy talk about ideas for a girl’s third birthday party. We talk about the Cricut machine and making cake pops. Check out these pictures and links: (more…)
We discuss Menus4Moms.com and how this subscription helps save money, create better meals, and stop the drive thru habit. With the economy in shambles, this is one way to get on top of the grocery budget.
PTPA shares great products for safety and Nancy gives 10 tips to make Disneyland an enjoyable experience (Make sure you listen BEFORE you think about going).
Safe Kids USA shares how to choose safe toys and what to know about recalls. We even discuss what to do if you have older kids or other kids that come to your home.
Mom4Life shares great products that solve problems we have as moms from slipping kids to that horrible hospital gown. Check out the show and these products that really caught our attetion: (more…)
Don’t spend tons on gifts people don’t want or don’t reflect you and them. Tricia shares a ton of interesting and beautiful ideas. Nancy shares a few and decides what her gift will be this year. This show is an answer to an email from a listener. (more…)
Sharlene Hawks talks to us about our FAVORITE digital software called My Memories Suite. This software is so flexible that you can do everything with it. Tricia makes posters, programs, and much more with this software that takes only a few minutes to use. It is cheap and easy! Listen and learn more (and know that we are not paid to talk about this software–we get nothing for this so it is our honest opinion). (more…)
Sarah, a new mom in Canada shares her top 10 must haves. Her daughter is a year and she’s learned what works and what doesn’t. So save yourself from all the stuff you don’t need and listen!
Having a baby soon? It is never too soon to start thinking about how you want to announce your child’s birth. Take time before your baby comes to plan and you will have less stress. We talk about alternatives and ideas including some really creative ones!
Learn how a mom created a business from a passion she discovered once her children were born. If you ever thought about doing something different, this is the show for you! Plus, learn about a cute way to preserve your child’s hand and footprint.
Chrissy Cianflone of SafeKids.org explains what to consider when purchasing and installing a car seat. Most parents do it incorrectly so learn how NOT to make the common mistakes.
Interested in getting a ride-on toy or first bike for your child. Learn what works for each age and the things you should be concerned about. Also, learn about a new type of ride-on toy called a Plasma Car–Tricia raves that it is well worth every penny.
We’d love to make perfect scrapbooks and DVDs, but we are short on time. So we tested several products to look for the ones we love. Listen and learn what works–what digital scrapbooking will do for you and what it won’t. We found ONE product that we universally love and which creates stunning pages in a fraction of the time and with less effort than any of us thought.
Tricia and Nancy have a few more questions for the creator of Potty Training in One Day before we embark on this adventure. These are probably questions you have so listen in before you try the Potty Training in One Day method.
Hair Stylist Ashlee Wilcken joins us to discuss baby hair, first cuts, bows, curly hair versus straight hair. Learn if you can do something to lose your baby’s curly hair and if expensive shampoos are good for kids. Also, learn what is wrong with tear-free shampoos and products we suggest instead of the yellow shampoo bottle.
You can save 10-60% off your food budget while creating food storage for the future with MyFoodStorageDeals.com (Nancy saved $75 last week–no JOKE). We talk about how this Utah service saves money. Try MyFoodStorageDeals.com for 2 weeks FREE. And get $2 off a month ($4.95 or $7.95 a month depending on level of service) by using the promo code MOMSRADIO when signing up. We also talk about ways to save at national chains such as RiteAid.
Allison Christensen, professional photographer and owner of Pretty Pictures, explains what NOT to do when you get family portraits or pictures of your children. She also gives tips on how to take good snapshots of your children.
Nancy reports from her FIRST family vacation. She’s at the beach with her kids and husband. Learn what works well and what doesn’t and save yourself the headaches when you go to the beach.
Get a house instead of a hotel so you have a place as a base where kids can eat breakfast, lunch and take naps (well worth the extra cost because you save on not eating out as often).
Be prepared to take a lot of stuff with you to help your child feel comfortable (car seat, portable bed, lovies, food and so forth).
Use the GoGo Babyz Travelmate to get your carseat through the airport (Anna really felt better sitting in her car seat on the plane–well worth taking it on).
Practice sleeping in the Pack N Play before you go (or in a bed if that is what will happen.
Practice using the equipment you take with you (we did not practice the sun cover and it was a sore spot one day).
Find kid-friendly restaurants in advance–kids won’t wait when they are hungry.
Check out places that mean something to you and tell your kids about it (Nancy used to live in Corona Del Mar so the family went back to her house, toy store, and library as well as the beach near her house).
Kick Back and Relax! The most important thing you will do on your trip is JUST spend time together.
Click Read More for more pictures of the trip (more…)
