 If you've read my Ultimate Review of Reusable Food Pouches, you'll know that we've tried a whole bunch of brands' pouches out, and while they all have their own pros and cons, the big hands-down winner and my all-time favorite is the new Squeasy Snacker. Here's why:
You can order your own Squeasy Gear from Amazon or their website, but you can also enter to win a 3-pack of the 6oz Squeasy Snacker in my awesome $300 value 8-product Back To School Giveaway, running through September 8!! Enter to win here!!  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.
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It's been a few months so I figured it's about time for another big ol' group giveaway, and what better theme than Back To School!?! My son is only 20 months old and not quite ready for preschool yet, but the products in this giveaway are great for babies through elementary school, so get in it to win it!!! One lucky grand prize winner will receive 8 fabulous products, with a retail value over $300!!! I'd first like to take a moment to shout out a huge thank you to two bloggers helping to support the giveaway: Louise of Mama Bean and Larisha of We're Parents. Check out their lovely blogs when you get a chance! And now... on to the prizes and the brands so awesome and generous enough to participate!!   Freshly Picked has the cutest and most fashionable moccasins ever!! They are 100% leather, come in tons of different colors and designs, and are available in sizes 1-10 (so your little one can be stylin' from the crib all the way to Kindergarten!). They also have a small selection of matching shirts and carryalls. Our grand prize winner will receive one pair of Freshly Picked baby moccasins (your choice of size and design)! Check out my review!  Umi Shoes makes fabulously fashionable, comfortable, and durable shoes for babies, toddlers, and big kids. From sandals to sneakers to boots, they've got you (and your little one's feet) covered! Our grand prize winner will receive a $60 gift card toward any of their shoes, which should be enough for one pair (or almost 2 pairs if you shop their clearance section!).  Squeasy Gear makes the best reusable snack pouches - take it from a mom who's tried them all!! These are made of food-grade silicone, have a no-spill insert that really works (wow!!), turn inside out for easy cleaning, and come in 3 sizes (3.5oz, 6oz, and 16oz). They are perfect for on the go snacks or to throw in the lunch box! Our winner will receive a 3pack of the 6oz Squeasy Snackers (one each of green, turquoise, and pink). Check out my review!  PlanetBox gives you a fun, healthy, and environmentally friendly way to pack lunch! They carry 3 styles of stainless steel compartmentalized dishwasher safe lunch boxes, with 5, 3, or 2 compartments each. Our grand prize winner will receive the Shuttle lunch box. With 2 compartments (holding about 3 cups of food), a dipper cup, and a cute carrying case offered in 4 designs, it's perfect to send with your tot to or for a picnic in the park! Check out my review!  "An Alphabet of Happy is a series of children’s stories designed to instill traditional values in a modern manner. Sasha, the main character, wears an eye patch to help the reader subtly instill in the child, a critical lesson in the search for happy: there is always more than what you are able to see. " Our grand prize winner will receive the first 3 Sasha Sunflowa books (A, B, & C)! Check out my review!  Happy Family makes organic meals and snacks that babies and toddlers love to eat, and parents love to provide! From first foods to finger foods, Happy Family will seriously make your family happy! Our grand prize winner will receive their Happiest Toddler Package, containing an assortment of goodies including yogurt & fruit snacks, veggie & fruit snacks, cookies, a breakfast blend pouch, a fruit & veggie pouch, and veggie & fruit crisps! Perfect for throwing in the diaper bag or lunch box! Check out my review of their Happy Baby products.  Grow With Me Tee makes 3 varieties of terrifically sentimental photo-op t-shirts! The "first years" let's you take a photo of your infant in a one-size onesie each month of his first year, the "school years" tee has you taking a photo of your toddler every 6 months for her first 6 years, and the "collegiate" tee has your child's high school or college graduation year on it. Our grand prize winner will receive one of the "school years" tee's, what better way to commemorate your child's entrance into the school years! Check out my review!  Tatiana of Kuli Kuli makes beautiful and kid-friendly art that will spark your little one's creativity and teach them a thing or two! Her prints feature brightly colored cute animals, numbers, letters, and foods. Nothing says back to school like the alphabet, so our grand prize winner will receive a ABCdario poster, which features the entire alphabet, images, and words in Spanish or English, for example A = accordian, B = bongos, etc. Check out my review! The giveaway will conclude on Monday, September 8 at 11:59 PM. The winner will be contacted via e-mail (and twitter if applicable) and have 24 hours to respond with a mailing address before another winner will be chosen, so be sure to check those junk/spam folders!! Please note the giveaway is only open to those ages 18 and over within the United States. Thank you and GOOD LUCK!!! Please enter through the Rafflecopter box below:
Here's a fun and catchy YouTube video through which you can learn the many "aisatsu" (greetings) you'll use and hear every day! You'll also learn some other handy vocab and a few of the vowel characters in the hiragana alphabet - score! Here's my attempt at a translation:
1) a i u e "Ohayo" - "Good morning" 2) ka ki ku ke "Konnichiwa" - "Hello / good afternoon" 3) genki ni aisatsu shitemiyou - let's try these cheerful greetings (??) 4) asa okitara, "Ohayo gozaimasu" - when you wake up, "Good morning" 5) onaka peko peko, "Itadakimasu" - when you're hungry, "Let's eat / bon apetite" 6) onaka ippai, "Gochisosama" - when you're full, "That was a great meal" (sorry, we don't really have a phrase for "gochisosama") 7) genki ni gakkoui, "Ittekimasu" - when you leave for school, "I'm taking off" 8) tomodachi ippai, "Konnichiwa" - lots of friends, "Hello" 9) shukudai wasurete, "Gomennasai" - forgot homework, "I'm sorry" 10) keshigomu karite, "Arigatou" - borrowed an eraser, "Thank you" 11) mata asoboune, "Sayonara" - let's play again, "Good bye" 12) ouchi ni tsuitara, "Tadaima" - get home, "I'm home" 13) papa no omukae, "Okaerinasai" - dad came home, "Welcome home" 14) omiyage moratte, "Arigatou" - you got a gift/souvinier, "Thank you" 15) ashitamo asobozou, "Oyasuminasai" - let's play tomorrow too, "Good night" 16) a i u e - "Ohyao" - "Good morning" 17) ka ki ku ke "Konbanwa" - "Good evening" 18) genki ni aisatsu tanoshine - cheerful greetings are fun! This post marks the beginning of a new series which will feature my favorite things for toddlers, as I discover and fall in love with them! Unless otherwise noted (at the bottom of the post), none of the "Toddler Faves" posts are sponsored or in any way tied to the brand or any company. Without further ado, my first Toddler Fave is...  Why is this a Toddler Fave?
 I got our set EUC on the local recycle group I created on Facebook, but you can get it for $9.99 on Amazon, click the image below and away you go! Poll any parenting group in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn (voted the best place to raise children in NYC, by the way!) and you'll find a vast 90% or so divided between the two most popular pediatric practices in the area, GPM and DeVito. Some love 'em, most are satisfied, but an increasing number have had it up to here (you can't see me, but my hand is like way up in the sky), with Gabriel's big bribery scandal earlier this year being the icing on the cake! Timing literally couldn't be better for the new kid on the block: Tribeca Pediatrics! They may be new to Bay Ridge (they're also opening up a Ditmas branch soon), but they are well established in other nabes with 5 locations in Manhattan, 5 in Brooklyn, 1 in Queens, 1 in NJ, 2 in California (random!), and you'd be hard pressed to hear a single negative comment from any of their patients. Their website boasts:
I cannot personally attest to these being true, but omg how nice would on-time appointments be!?? I kid you not, we have waited well over an hour on multiple occasions for a scheduled well-visit at our doctor's office! Ugh!! One mom friend of mine who goes to their Park Slope location says she's never waited longer than 15 minutes for an appointment, calling after hours puts you straight through to the on-call doc rather than an answering service, and she always gets a response to an e-mail within 20 minutes. Wow. Just wow! OK, without further ado, here's the info I have on the upcoming Tribeca Pediatrics office in Bay Ridge: OPENING: August 26, 2014 LOCATION: 6927 3rd Avenue (ridiculously close the Bay Ridge Ave subway station!) TELEPHONE: (347) 947-7790 DOCTOR: Karen Moalem, MDDr, a board certified pediatrician, is a graduate of Brandeis University and Tufts University School of Medicine. She completed her residency training at the University of Connecticut after a research fellowship year in Northern Argentina. Dr. Moalem is fluent in Spanish, and joins Tribeca Pediatrics from the faculty practice at Maimonides Medical Center. She resides in Bay Ridge with her family.  Dr. Moalem NURSES: There are 8 listed on the website, where you can see their photos and brief intros. They will be holding "Introduction to the Practice" sessions starting on August 26 at 5PM. You can register here. I will definitely be attending one of these sessions. I'm satisfied with our current pediatric practice, but wouldn't it be great to go somewhere you love? Where you never question your provider's advice or wait endlessly for an appointment you made months ago? Certainly Tribeca Pediatrics can't be perfect, but here's hoping it's a giant step in the right direction for families of Bay Ridge! Fingers crossed and arms open - welcome to Ba(b)y Ridge!! *Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post and I have received no compensation for it monetary or otherwise. I heard the rumor that Tribeca Pediatrics was coming to Bay Ridge and simply reached out for more information, which they were of course happy to convey!
If you're a new parent, a parent-to-be, or have some in your family or circle of friends, you prefer shopping local or on Etsy as opposed to the big box stores, you are a friend of Mother Earth, and you'll in the NYC Metro Area on 8/24, well, I've got an event that is right up your alley!! The Rattled Expo will take place on Sunday, August 24 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (The Warsaw @ 261 Driggs Ave to be exact) from 12 - 4 PM. You'll find an "eclectic mix of eco-friendly baby products, modern ideas and services for new parents; a unique event for young, urban families who appreciate eco-conscious, stylish, locally made goods"!  There will be over 50 businesses and services represented of interest to "young, indie-minded and eco-conscious families." There will also be music, food trucks, activities, and more! Tickets are $5 per adult (kids are free), but...
I'm giving away 3 pairs of tickets!!! WOOHOOO!! Just sign up through the Rafflecopter box below! The giveaway will run til Sunday, August 17 at 11:59PM. I'll send an email to the 3 winners on Monday, August 18 and they'll have 24 hours to respond before I pick new winners - so be sure to check your junk/spam folders! Looking for a really adorable baby shower or "meet the baby" gift that will be a hit with parents and children alike? Here's one I just came across that I'm in love with at the moment: 
As you can see, they have a wide selection of designs, so you can choose the blanket you want based on animal, color, size, and material (prices range from $12.95 - $26), and you can also choose the color and font if you'd like to have it monogrammed (which costs an extra $7.95 for first name and $5.95 for second name). If you don't know the name of the baby yet, they recommend going with the first letter of the last name! Of course I went with an elephant, the 18" Lil' Spout Snuggler, since the elephant is Kenzo's mascot (in case you didn't know, one of the meanings of "zo" in Japanese is elephant!). How adorable is this (my child of course but the security blanket, too!!): 
This guy is crazy soft, like you just want to pet him and rub him on your cheek, is that weird? Ha! It would also make a great monthly photo accessory - just lay him next to your baby at each week or month milestone photo and watch your baby grow - super cute!! It's machine washable, so hopefully it won't get too beat up or dingy, and will become a lifelong pal for your little one to keep throughout childhood and one day show to their own kids! Well, that's my plan for Kenzo's!! For now, he's just thrilled to hug and play with his new best bud!!
You can order your very own personalized security blanket from Namely Newborns on their website, and get 10% off with the code "baby"! They have tons of other awesome gifts such as book ends, hooded towels, gift baskets, pillows, hats, etc! *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. |
 
About ME:I'm a NYC metro area mom blogger living in NJ with my Japanese husband & our 3 kids (twins plus 1), focusing on fun and honest product and travel reviews, saving moms time finding the best for their families! Find what you need in the menu bar or search section above! 
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