Anyone who has given a baby a bath is familiar with how stressful and challenging it can be. They are squirmy and slippery, and the tiny washcloths you get at baby showers just don’t get the job done. Sarah Stapp, founder of LatherUp Co. and inventor of LatherMitts, set out to help moms, dads and all caregivers with her revolutionary bath gloves with thoughtfully incorporated design elements to allow parents to keep a good grip on baby and get them clean, head to toe. Features include:
Safety: The gentle neoprene grip that lines LatherMitts’ thumb and forefinger ensures that squirmy, slippery kids are secure and safe in your hands. Neoprene, commonly used in wetsuits, is hypoallergenic, non-slip and is naturally resistant to oil, mildew and mold.
Quality: The rest of the glove is made of white organic cotton, perfect for a baby’s sensitive skin. SPOILER ALERT: Bamboo and soy terrycloth will soon be coming to latherup.co for purchase as well!
Dexterity: The glove design of LatherMitts allows you full use of both hands and all ten fingers, making it easy to get into hard-to-reach places like behind ears and under chins.
Value: LatherMitts can be rewashed and reused again and again the same way you would use a washcloth. Bonus: since LatherMitts require no special care, you can throw them in with your towels.
Options: LatherMitts come in sizes small to extra large, so mom, dad or any caregiver can cover bathtime duties.
To learn more and pick up your own pair of LatherMitts, please visit www.latherup.co. You can also stay up-to-date on what LatherUp has been up to and what is next on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
If you are expecting or are buying for someone who is, these need to be on your list!
The small playground in our neighborhood has a little wooden playset for kids to climb and slide on. Using our imagination, we pretend it’s our spaceship and make frequent trips to the moon and sometimes a random planet from Star Wars.
It’s not a sturdy structure, so I can easily shake our vessel during takeoff as we experience turbulence (from comet fields, obviously). Luckily, the cutest pilot I know keeps it under control and gets us through every time.
Don’t worry, I caught this shot on my phone before takeoff. She promised to wait for me to climb aboard, but only for a minute. We had places to go and things to see, so there’s no time for messing around with pictures!
I’m just happy I got this pic before the 105+ degree heat made my phone shut down. Probably for good reason, I need to focus on living in the moment more anyway. No matter how hot it gets, it always feels cool to play with our beautiful girl.
Thanks to Darren and his #MySundayPhoto linkup. Check out his blog full of beautiful pics and join in on the #MySundayPhoto action!
The sweet potato as well as all potato varieties are incredibly underrated vegetables. Both offer distinctive nutritional benefits, but are completely different vegetables from each other. Sweet potatoes actually come from a completely different family in the plant kingdom. While many sources hold sweet potatoes on a pedestal claiming they are far superior to the regular “baking” potatoes, they both have a welcome place in our diet.
Just like the regular spud, sweet potatoes come in many varieties and range in color from a pasty white to a deep red; each imparting unique tastes and textures. Although sweet potatoes taste sweeter than their distant “white” cousins, they do not spike our blood sugar as much as the regular spuds.
One reason is the fact that sweet potatoes have almost double the amount of fiber than their counterparts; fiber plays a major role in slowing digestion and releasing sugar. Both varieties offer similar amounts of vitamins and minerals, but sweet potatoes come out on top for antioxidant content. So, don’t skip out on baked potatoes as they have a lot to offer in flavor and nutrition, but I want to focus on the sweet tuber today.
Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and do not have any cracks, bruises or soft spots. Avoid those that are displayed in the refrigerated section of the produce department since cold temperature negatively alters their taste.
Sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark and well-ventilated place, where they will keep fresh for up to ten days. Ideally, they should be kept out of the refrigerator in a cool, dry, dark place not above 60 degrees F / 15 degrees C, which would fit the characteristics of a root cellar. Yet since most people don’t have root cellars, we’d suggest just keeping your sweet potatoes loose (not in a plastic bag, but if desired, a brown paper bag with multiple air holes punched in it will work) and storing them in a cool, dark, and well-ventilated cupboard away from sources of excess heat (like the stove).
After selecting a sweet potato or five following the tips above, here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy:
1. Sweet Potato Peanut Stew or Bisque – Eatingwell.com provides a great recipe I use and change as needed. Instead of the tomato juice their recipe calls for, I use canned chopped tomatoes; sometimes I toss some cubed and cooked chicken breast in after pureeing for a protein boost. The peanut butter provides healthy fat that enables the body to better absorb the beta-carotene in sweet potatoes.
2. Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding – So good. Cube and steam the sweet potato in the microwave, throw all ingredients in a blender with a little milk, and blend away! Add avocado for extra creamy nutrition; trust me. This is great hot or cold and with or without roasted peanuts added for a little crunch.
3. Roasted Sweet Potato – either cut into fries or simply cubed, I love baking these in a 375 degree over for 30 – 45 minutes. The roasting brings out the sweetness of the spud and is even better with cinnamon sprinkled on top. For something savory, toss with whole garlic cloves, ground cumin, and parsley to roast in the oven; this is great served cold too!
4. Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili – If you haven’t combined sweet potato with black beans yet, make this now! When it’s hot outside, make it a cold salad instead by cutting out a few steps. Try adding sliced avocado for a cool and creamy addition with extra nutrition.
Eat Me…….seriously
5. Sweet Potato Pancakes – a great change from regular flour pancakes for a special weekend breakfast; try this recipe I found on Pinterest you will love it! I use half unsweetened applesauce and half plain full fat yogurt instead of just yogurt. Whisk plain yogurt with peanut butter (Like NuttZo!) and honey for a tasty topping; sliced bananas with extra cinnamon is a great way to really up the flavor!
The potato is a versatile food and can be prepared in less than 10 minutes for when you have no time to spare. Kelley and I have found the Jersey Sweet Potato to be our favorite so far; we simply rinse and microwave for 4 -5 minutes and enjoy topped with plain full fat Greek yogurt. Similar to my squash puree mixtures, I sometimes use cooked sweet potato instead; this makes for a very creamy and delicious treat when mixed with frozen berries or bananas.
Don’t be scared to eat more potatoes, both sweet and regular are great nutritional powerhouses. Buy organic so you can just rinse the skin and eat it to obtain the vital vitamins and minerals it has within. If you do not buy organic, you might be better off peeling the potato to limit the amount of pesticides you ingest.
How do you enjoy sweet potatoes?
An at-home dad on a mission to keep it real when it comes to food, fun, and raising a healthy, happy family.
Features include:
To learn more and pick up your own pair of LatherMitts, please visit www.latherup.co. You can also stay up-to-date on what LatherUp has been up to and what is next on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
