In honor of World Breastfeeding Week and National Breastfeeding Awareness Month kicking off tomorrow, I'm going to be reviewing an app that brings Breastfeeding FAQ's and helpful tips right to your fingertips.

Breastfeeding Central guides you through all stages of breastfeeding and is written by Beverley Rae, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Clinical Social Worker, and mother of five breastfed children (you go, girl!!). You can read through it like a book (click on a category and it'll bring you to a list of articles), saving any for easy reference later (the "saved" folder is one of 5 icons at the bottom of your screen). Or you can just look up specific topics when you find yourself faced with difficulties, such as a plugged duct or low milk supply.

Each article is short and to the point, which is about all an exhausted new mom can handle, let's face it! Forget fumbling through a 200-page book or turning to Google, which if you're like me, is likely to send you into a major hypochondriac fit! Breastfeeding Central is like having your own personal Lactation Consultant in your pocket!

OK, so let's see how it works. We'll say your milk has just come in and you're suffering from engorgement. Yes, that sounds familiar!! You click the main screen, then "Common Difficulties" and finally "Engorgement" which brings you to a helpful 2 paragraph article with a photo.

Here's a closeup of the image that goes with the engorgement info, since my screen shot didn't quite capture it. There really is nothing quite like cold cabbage on your moobies, whether you're suffering from engorgement or a plugged duct... ahhhhh!!

So, there are 6 main categories in the Breastfeeding Central app:

• Preparation for Breastfeeding (with 7 articles, from a shopping list of must-have products to creating a "nursing corner" and setting expectations).

• Getting Started In The Hospital (with 6 articles, from position and latch to preemies and twins).

• Early Days At Home (with 8 articles, from first night home to getting your partner involved to managing a toddler and a new baby - that one will be helpful to me in a year or two!!).

• Common Difficulties (with 7 articles, such as sore nipples and low milk supply).

• The First Six Months (with 8 articles, from growth spurts to medications/alcohol and breastfeeding in public).

• Returning To Work (with 5 articles, of course covering issues with pumping and storing milk).

Furthermore, the help tab at the bottom brings up a list of websites where you can find a local lactation consultant and mother-to-mother help and support groups! Woohooo!! In a nutshell, this app is extremely helpful and convenient. I wish I'd had such a resource in my early days of breastfeeding just 19 months ago!

Wanna get your hands on it? Breastfeeding Central is available for download on iPhone and iPad for $3.99, and you can follow Beverley Rae and Breastfeeding Central on Twitter (@BRaeIBCLC) and Facebook!

Sponsored Post Disclosure: Opinions are my own and not swayed by compensation of any kind. This was a sponsored post, but I limit such posts to companies that meet my moral standards and I feel I can really stand behind (hey, I'm not a sell out, but time is money...).

My son is 19 months and starting to speak English, he even knows a few letters of the English alphabet (O, P, B, C). It's all very exciting but at the same time a little sad that he's not doing any of these things in Japanese yet. It's no surprise as my workaholic husband does not even have a fraction of the amount of time with Kenzo as I do, as a work at home mom. So, I've been trying to find ways to supplement his Japanese exposure with none other than... YouTube! Ha!

**update!! We have 3 kids now and I have adorable videos of them all learning this song embedded below from our YouTube channel!!

So, this post will start my "Learn Japanese" series in which I'll recommend a video, book, or product that I love that helps kids and/or adults to learn Japanese in an easy and fun way.

Japanese does not have an official alphabet song, as we do in English. They have do have a specific order for their 46 phonetic sounds (visually you have to learn two sets: one set in Hiragana and one set in Katakana, which makes 92 characters to memorize, not to mention the Kanji characters, of which you need to know at least 1,000 before you can read a newspaper, sheeeesh!). 

We recently came across a really adorable YouTube video that showcases a fun song for the Japanese alphabet. We LOVE LOVE LOVE it, and so does our son. He already tries to sing along. He always howls along with the dog at the end "Wa-O-N" part! So cute!!! Here's the video, with the Hiragana/Katakana chart below if you are interested!

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RELATED GUIDE:  Family Travel to Japan

Our first child, Kenzo:

Our twins, Emi & Mia:

We've all seen those story books where you can record your voice and send to a niece, nephew, or grand child living across the country, right? Super cute! But there is a new recordable device on the market that is even cuter, and extremely practical. I'd like to introduce you to Elli And Nooli's RecordablePal™!

The idea behind it is that there's nothing more soothing to a baby than the sound of mom or dad's voice. You record your voice (up to 20 seconds) and it plays on repeat for up to 30 minutes! Each of the owl's feet contains a volume up or down (though this isn't meant to be a boom box, even the loudest setting is fairly quiet), one hand is play/stop, the other hand is record. There are two strings so you can tie it to the crib, and the battery pack is inside the Owl in a zippered compartment. It couldn't be simpler, the batteries were even included!!

Because it's so easy to use, I was worried that my son would end up recording over our song. But so far he hasn't. You have to hold the record button for a few seconds before it beeps to let you start recording. Kenzo doesn't have the patience for that, he just likes to push buttons quickly (all of them, over and over again). I sense the RecordablePal™ engineers had buggers like mine in mind when deciding on this feature!

Moms, if you want to go all out with providing the most comfort to your little one, I recommend stuffing the RecordablePal™ in your shirt for a while to pick up your scent. Can you imagine? Your wee one is laying there falling asleep - hearing and smelling you - it's almost like you're actually there!

Here's a video of us recording and playing back for our son. We chose a fun new Japanese Alphabet song we learned, because we're raising him bilingually but he's just not getting a whole lot of Japanese these days... You think he likes it? (Spoiler alert.... he LOVES IT - don't miss the hugs and kisses at the end!!!)

One tip - don't let your little one tap the RecordablePal while recording like Kenzo did in the video. Let's just say we had to re-record!

This would make a really awesome and unique baby shower gift and a wonderful piece in any nursery (in addition to or as an alternative to a standard sound machine - you could even record your own shushing sounds for white noise! You can get a RecordablePal™ at Babies R Us, Walmart, or on Amazon (for now they just have Al the Owl, but rumor has it they'll be adding more animal options - hooray!!). Go ahead and ike Elli & Nooli on Facebook to stay in the know!

*Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased.

Jacuzzis, saunas, pools—always a good time but not really anything extraordinary, right? But did you know there’s a place up in Queens that has taken these water elements to a whole other level. Meet Spa Castle. Not only will you be blown away with all of the cool things to do there, but you’ll also feel like you’ve been transported directly to Korea. Talk about an exciting family adventure! Here are some features of Spa Castle I found especially noteworthy:

Uniforms and Bracelet Charge Cards

After admission, men and women are sent to opposite locker rooms to change into uniforms; you'll be given a bracelet to wear that acts as a key to your locker and also your account for charging food, drinks and treatments. (It kind of made me feel like I was in a sci-fi movie like The Island, but it’s really nice not to have to carry around your wallet—or worry about your kids getting food on their clothes during lunch.) While they stored our stroller in the back employees-only room, keep in mind that children over 3 feet are required to go to their respective locker rooms, and no shoes are permitted past the locker room.

We’re NAKED!?

Yep, the hot baths on the first floor do not allow the use of bathing suits or towels. Buck naked, wash off, and in you go. Many Americans may not be quite up for this, but don’t worry, there’s plenty else to do if you decide to skip it!

Sauna Valley

There are seven themed saunas on the second floor—and they're all pretty darn amazing. You’ll find six hot ones (LED/Color Therapy, Gold, Jade, Far-infrared, Loess/Yellow Stone & Mud, and Mineral Salt) and one cold one (Ice Land). Each one conveniently lists the current temperature on the outside of the door—temps ranged from 48°F to 187°F when we visited. You'll probably want to avoid taking small children in to most of the saunas, with the exception of the Ice Room which my little guy loved. He got to touch snow… INSIDE! How fun is that!? I lasted all of five minutes in most of them (I'm a wimp when it comes to heat), but it was really cool to jump in and out and try them all. My favorite was the gold sauna—it really makes you feel like royalty—in a room surrounded by gold.

Outdoor Pools

Don't get confused—these are not swimming pools. The tubs are full of imported jets from Korea and Japan, combining the health benefits of hot water immersion with Asian acupressure. There are tons of spots to sit, stand, or lay down in and get various parts of your body massaged by jets of water, which range from firm to feeling like you’re getting hosed down by a fire fighter. (I kid you not!)

You shouldn’t have too much of a problem finding food to please every palette—they have everything from a huge salad bar and American staples (think chicken fingers and hamburgers) to Korean food. There's even a Starbucks and a frozen yogurt stand. There were no children's menus, but they did have high chairs.

Get Pampered

If you’re really looking to go all out, there are a bunch of extra treatments you can shell out for, such as body scrubs, massages, and facials. Click here for a full list of services.

Some Things to Consider If You Bring a Baby or Toddler

Children under 4.5 feet are not permitted in outdoor pools on the top deck (except for the small kiddy pool). This was hugely disappointing to me, but I understand. The pools aren't for swimming—they are filled with powerful massaging jets, currents, steps and built in chairs. It’s not the place for a small child, even if you’re carrying them (one small misstep and you’d both be underwater). That said, I definitely saw some smaller children in there, so I’m not sure how strict they are about it.

I’m not saying don’t take a baby or toddler to Spa Castle, I’m just saying it will restrict you a wee bit. My 18-monther certainly didn't have a lack of action. He had a blast in the kiddy pool and play room while my husband and I took turns watching him and visiting the other pools individually.

During my son's nap (they actually have a sleeping area, with heated flooring and mats, where he took an amazing one hour snooze), my husband and I took turns visiting all of the saunas. Imagine my surprise when I came back from my free time to find both of my boys snoozing away...

Spa Castle has changing tables and a play room (both great!), but I would have loved if they had some child care services. My husband and I will probably consider leaving our son with a sitter for our next visit, so we can experience the spa as a couple rather than tag teaming a majority of the time. Maybe next time we'll check out their newest Manhattan premier location, expected to open in September or October 2014. It'll be on the 8th-10th floors of 115 East 57th, and for ages 16+ only!

Attention chocoholics! What if I were to say you can satisfy your sweet tooth and get a full serving of veggies in one serving of chocolate milk. This sounds crazy right? Crazy AWESOME! Let me tell you about the new kid on the block, Sneakz Organic Chocolate Milkshake...

What Sneakz has:

• Delicious rich and creamy taste
• Ingredients you can stand behind: Organic Skim Milk, , Sneakz Organic Veggie Puree Blend - (Organic Dried) Sweet Potato, Carrot, Beet, & Spinach, Filtered Water, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Dutch Cocoa, Organic Vanilla Extract, Natural Flavors, and Carrageenan.
• 6 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per box/serving
• Lots of vitamins: Vitamin A - 100%, Calcium - 20%, Vitamin C - 6%, Iron - 6% (percents based on 2,000 calorie diet)
  
• Shelf stable packaging i.e. no refrigeration needed!
• More fiber and less sugar than most other chocolate milk drinks

What Sneakz doesn't have:

• GMOs
• Antibiotics
• Synthetic Hormones
• Gluten

But the real question is... how does it taste? My son is only 18 months and all he knows in the beverage category is milk and water. As far as desserts go, he thinks strawberries are as good as it gets. I'm not quite ready to burst his bubble and start giving him "sweets", even if they do have a serving of veggies inside! So, I did the taste test myself.

I put Sneakz up against what we had in the house, which was Organic Chocolate Almond milk. Sneakz was just as creamy and yummy, but had a bit of a fruity taste as well. It was a unique flavor, one I really liked. And knowing it's got the full serving of veggies inside I would totally buy it for myself, and for my son once he's a wee bit older! It's perfect for the lunch box, road trip, or just a quick grab from the fridge!

Sure, it's marketed for kids since we often have a helluva time getting them to eat their veggies. What a brilliant idea to sneak them into something so yummy! But who's to say the parents (or non-parent adults) can't indulge as well!? Go for it!!

If you wanna check out Sneakz Organic Chocolate Milkshake for yourself, you can order a pack of 12 on Amazon, or search for a nearby retailer on Sneakz's website (it looks like Babies R Us is starting to carry them).

*Disclaimer: Although I did receive this product free of charge, I was not compensated in any other way to do this product review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased.