Up & Up Soothing Vapors Baby Bath

Up&Up Soothing Vapors

A few months back when Baby Z came down with a stuffy nose and cold I went on the hunt for a vapor bath concoction at Target. I was a newbie as this as she is my first child. My eyes spotted only two brands at my local Target; one by Johnson & Johnson and the other by Up & Up. A quick scan of the two products showed me that they both had the same claims, seemingly same ingredients yet vastly different price points. I purchased the less pretty packaged Up & Up Soothing Vapors Baby Bath.

I cannot rave about this product enough. It is a mild tear free formula and like most baby products it is dermatologist tested. It cotains rosemary, eucalyptus and menthol. It has a light herbal/menthol smell and produces lots of little bubbles in the bath. The vapors not only help clear my little ones nose but they actually do seem to soothe her as well. I have used it on multiple occasions and I swear she sleeps better when we have used it. I have used it a few times when I felt their was a cold coming on or when I saw signs of a stuffy nose and I swear this stuff combatted it.

This gets two MrsMommy thumbs up and I will definitly be repurchasing it in the future.

Sweet Easter Treats...

Pinterest never ceases to amaze me. The things I find on their showcase such amazing talent. Here are my top picks for amazingly sweet looking and Easter treats.

Rainbow colored Jello Eggs. How brilliant is that? And if you are on a diet (like me) you could even make them with sugar free Jello! Source.

 So that's what to do with all those Peeps I get but never eat during Easter season! Source unknown as the Pinterest link for this item did not work.

These adorable bunny cookies have a distinct vintage vibe going on. Would be amazing for a vintage'esqe Easter themed gathering/party/birthday. Source.

Simple and chick..er chic. Would be fun to make these as a vanilla cupcake with lemon creme frosting. Source.

Yay! Here is one for us adults. Chocolate mousse in golden egg cups designed by Wolfgang Puck. Easter Couture. 

Main photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens.

Going Consigning!

Our local JBF Consignment event opened its doors to the public today. I was itching to get in there first thing this morning but alas work was calling instead. So as soon as I am off today I will be heading on over to pick up Baby Z and we will go and consign together.

This time around I will be looking for primarily used board books. I think this is an excellent way to stock up our bookshelf on the cheap. I also find that board books are easy to clean and much more durable for chubby 10 month old fingers. I will also be eyeing the toy section for any good finds but have never purchased a used toy before so I will want to be sure its something that is easy to sanitize. Lastly, I might peruse the shoe and clothing section. Who am I kidding, of course I am going to hunt through the clothing section. I will be on the lookout for summer clothes around 18 month size that are in close to pefect or brand new condition.

I will post how it goes tomorrow. Happy Friday all and happy consigning.

The Weight Watchers Bandwagon

I did it. I have officially joined the Weight Watchers bandwagon. I know quite a few people who have experienced success with this program. Loosing weight on "my own" just doesn't seem to be working out as well as I hoped. I am hoping that having a motivating system under my belt such as this one will help do the trick. Of course their is no magic to loosing weight. Its simply dedication and hard work. If you cannot be dedicated to it and you cannot work hard at it then more than likely it wont work out. Weight Watchers Points Plus program seems to be very flexible and you dont need to purchase any fancy schmancy products from them if you do not wish too. It seems like they have designed a program that is really meant for the every day individual. I will periodically do posts on how the program is going for me personally. If you have tried this program leave a comment below on what you thought of it. They currently have a special going on that ends this Saturday so if this is a program that you have been thinking of then be sure to check them out.

Diane Von Furstenburg for Baby Gap

I will admit I was pretty excited to find out a while back that Diane Von Furstenburg was going to design a collection of baby and toddler clothes for Gap. I love Gap for my little one and I love to drool over DVF collections for women. I anxiously awaited the clothing release and told myself I would purchase 3 items from the collection for Baby Z. Yes, I told myself this even before seeing the collection itself. I am a bit of a shopping junkie when it comes to certain items. The collection was released and I hurriedly logged onto Gap.com, clicked the Infant Girl tab and voila...brightly colored DVF baby items were staring at me from the screen.

The collection consists of modern designed dresses and one pieces that are brightly colored in almost neon like hues.The Wrap Rompers looked adorable but I couldn't get over the pricing on these. Was it really worth $45.00 for the infant sizing or $60.00 for the toddler sizing?

I love these banded print dresses the most out of the collection however I felt the price to be a bit steep. Yes I know its a designer collaboration but I just assumed it would be priced just a tad lower since Gap was the market house for these items. I decided I would go on over to Gap to check out the entire collection as parts of it were already sold out online shortly after it was released. Sadly, I walked out empty handed. The dresses were very adorable but I didn't feel they were worth their hefty price tag. The quality of the wrap dress did not meet my expectations. I still love the banded print dresses and felt that they were of good quality but decided to take my chances on seeing if they will go on sale or not. I saw an adorable pair of baby shoes that looked like they were made very well at under $30.00 but they were out of the size I needed.

Overall, I felt that this line was unique in appearance but the quality was not worth the price in my opinion. Of course if any of these items go on sale I might just snatch up a few pieces. Did you purchase anything from this line? You can visit this collection at Baby Gap.

All photos in this post were taken from Baby Gap DVF Collection website.

Books, Babies & Budgets

I have been reading to baby Z since she was quite a wee little thing. My doctors encouraged me to read to her as much as possible from a very early age. Now that she is almost 10 months old she actually takes a keen interest in her books and has favorites as well.

Babies can be rough on their books and when a board book costs upwards of $10.00 for a new one you may want to consider stocking your little ones bookshelf with less expensive options. Here are my top tips for book shipping for babies on a budget.

1. Targets have a pretty good selection of baby board books in their dollar section which is usually at the front of the store. They change the selection frequently and you won't feel bad when your little one ruins the spine on these books since they only cost you a dollar.

2. Used bookstores carry oodles of children's books at very reasonable prices. Contact your local used bookstore and ask about their selection and if they have board books of that's what you are in the market for.

3. Consignment sales such as JBF carry more baby books than you'll know what to do with. Peruse their gently used books for great baby reads.

4. Libraries sometimes clear out their stock in preparation for new items. When they do this they usually sell their books for less than a dollar each. Contact your local library to inquire about any upcoming sales.

5. Garage sale lovers, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this is a prime market for children's books.

Don't be afraid to stock up as children love an ever changing variety and extra books are easy to store on shelved or in containers.

Where do you shop for your children's books?

Mommy Makeover : Freeman Clay Facial Mask

Okay ladies get ready for this. My favorite facial mask as of late is Freeman Mega 8 Complex Superfruits Detoxifying Clay Facial Mask. Whew! That is quite the mouthful. Although the name may be a little on the complicated and jumbled side, the mask itself is simplistically wonderful.

This "natural antioxidant skincare" mask claims that it is good for combating signs of stress, purifying and detoxifying your skin.  It is supposed to unclog those darned pesky pores and replace dull skin with a more awakened and refreshed skin. The ingredient list seems friendly enough with goji berries, acai, pomegranate, mango, mangosteen, cranberry, noni and blueberries.

The color of the clay mask is a light minty green color. Its thick but easy to work with. It has a really nice fruity smell but its not overpowering. The smell reminds me of a lightly blended fruit smoothie. You squeeze some of the contents into your hands, rub over your entire face (I avoid getting to close to the hairline and too close to my eyes) and let it dry for about 10 minutes. If you are a avid bath taker like myself, you can let it soak into your skin while you bathe. Once it is dry you wash it off your face with a warm cloth. It left my skin feeling extremely smooth. I would definitely say it does detoxify. As for combating stress, I think its the soothing scent and the fact that your taking time out of your busy day to give yourself a mini facial, that combats any anxiety at least momentarily.

I purchased mine from CVS for just under 5 dollars so its easy on the budget.

This mommy gives it 2 thumbs up!

A French Hiatus...

This blog has taken a very successful hiatus due to my travels in France over the end of February and beginning of March. I loved France dearly and missed my blog dearly as well.

 Traveling with a 9 month old was not only feasible but it was truly enjoyable. I will sprinkle in some posts over the next few weeks on what my experience was like. I learned lots about traveling overseas with a young child and seeing the world though a little ones eyes.