Having a baby certainly opens your eyes to so many things never considered before; at least not for me. Sure, I’ve looked into safe plastics for heating and storing food, but never thought twice about the hidden dangers in plastic toys. And now with Avery’s teething in high gear, she’ll try to chew on ANYTHING!
Even if the toys are touting a “BPA Free” label, chances are they come from China (seems like everything does) and even if they have since stopped using lead paint as was an issue before, I don’t have a lot of trust left. Plus, if Avery is going to chew on something, I’d rather it be something natural and free of chemicals.
Needless to say, I was excited to find Down To Earth Toys in my search for safe, economical and non-plastic toys for Avery. To add to the excitement, I was thrilled when Carrin from Down To Earth Toys agreed to send their wooden Cherry Clutch Rattle with a heart!
The rattle is as smooth as the finest silk and handmade craftsmanship is of the highest quality.
Immediately upon receipt, I took the rattle from its thoughtful packaging and handed it to Avery for the official first review.
Although it’s called a rattle, it doesn’t sound like what you’d hear in a typical plastic rattle with the raspy sound. Since this is wood, it’s more of a very soft clunky noise that won’t annoy you after a minute of shaking. Plus, who has time to shake when your baby fangs need soothing?
Avery took to her new wooden toy with glee as I took her plastic toys away. She didn’t seem too upset…
We now play with/chew on the rattle every day and I’m grateful to have something made in the USA from a well-deserving family owned business like Down To Earth Toys.
Since Avery’s first birthday is fast approaching (so it seems), I think we’ll be perusing other toys they sell soon. They also make great gifts!
On average, a baby born at full-term will most likely double their birth weight at 4 months, and triple it by the time they reach 1 year old. Most babies have about 5 growth spurts within their first year which is when most of their growing will take place. If it seems like one day your baby fits perfectly in their onesie and the next day it can’t go over their head, that’s because most of their growth occurs in very short, intense bursts.
What does all of this mean? It means we need to savor every second, minute, hour, day, etc. that we have with our constantly growing babies before they grow right out of our arms! And don’t forget the only way to keep them from growing is by capturing them in pictures and on video. So while your baby may continue growing, you will always be able to relive their “tiny moments” whenever you want.
As new parents, Going Mom and I have no problem taking pictures and recording videos of Avery every day. 7 months into it and I’m pretty sure we have enough media of our daughter to fill a hard drive! Okay, not one of those monster drives, but we have A LOT!
We have been capturing Avery’s growth month-by-month by sitting her beside a stuffed teddy bear to take a picture, but she’s not always cooperative…
They give you a fabric marker to color in the ruler with each birthday and half birthday to record how much they’ve grown each time.
As you can see, Avery still doesn’t make it easy, but I guess that’s just the age.
Eeeks! I’m getting old!!
I love having this tee as we will be able to watch her grow into and out of it as time goes by. Like most things with your growing baby, it’s bittersweet to see how much they grow!
All business.
Grow With Me Tee also offers a onesie with an “age clock” for your baby’s first year, as well as a customizable collegiate-style tee to document your kid’s growth from pre-school all the way to high school. This will be the next shirt we get after Avery’s 5 year ruler is all colored in. Oh geez, that’s scary to think about; we’ll be half-way to 40 years old!!
These Grow With Me Tee’s are such a great idea and a perfect gift for anyone expecting or who recently had a baby. They are inexpensive but will provide priceless memories for years down the road.
As a bonus for being a Going Dad reader, the “Chief Moms” behind Grow With Me Tee, Nicole and Bethany, have agreed to give you 15% off of their products! Just use coupon code GOINGDAD15 after shopping for your favorite tee on their website and the discount will be applied. This code will be valid through the end of July 2014.
How sweet is that?! Get something that literally will last for years and can be enjoyed by you and your loved ones. What are you waiting for, get to shopping now!
Make sure to show Grow With Me Tee some love and check them out Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! When you snap a photo of your little one in their tee, they’d love to see and showcase the pic on their pages!
Do you enjoy photo-journaling your baby/toddler/adolescent to document their growth?
Which style of tee do you like most from Grow With Me Tee?
Hey there, happy Hump Day! How’s your week going so far?
Doing good here, and now that it’s summer, the Texas weather is wasting no time on turning up the heat! If you’re looking for a way to cool down with a refreshing drink, look no further than Zevia, the zero calorie soda.
Zevia offers 15 flavors of zero calorie deliciousness and anyone is sure to find a favorite or two…..or more! Not only do I love the company for creating a healthy alternative to those unhealthy sugary sodas or dangerous sugar-free sweeteners, but they are helping to spread the word and fight against childhood obesity.
Here’s a video they have on YouTube that gets the message across pretty well!
As a major supporter in the fight against obesity and raising awareness of what we are putting in our bodies and feeding our children, I love to see companies that help spread the word. And, now that I’m a parent to the most precious little girl ever (Biased? Nahhhh), I know it’ll be tough trying to teach her about all of the processed food we don’t eat when so many of her peers and parents will have it daily. It will be a struggle, but something I will never back down from or give up on. Thanks to companies like Zevia, the fight will be easier.
Avery’s not ready to drink anything other than mommy’s milk right now, but you can rest assured I’ll happily share a can of Zevia on a hot summer day when that time comes. Who says being healthy is boring? I say it’s only what you make of it, and it is far from boring!
Zevia sent a 6-pack sampler for me to review which included their Cream Soda (yes!), Ginger Ale (double yes!), Ginger Root Beer, Grapefruit Citrus, Grape, and Cherry Cola flavors. I’ve tried these in the past, but not since they’ve “cracked the code” with their next gen sweetening system, SweetSmart.
Tangible Happiness!
I was already more than happy with their flavors before, so I had to find out if they could actually get any better. Turns out, they can! Ha ha, get it? Can? Anyone? *Crickets chirping*
Grape – If you like grape soda, you’ll love this one! It’s crisp, bubbly, and not overwhelming. I’m not a huge fan of grape flavored drinks, but if someone offered this to me, I’d happily accept.
Cream Soda – Loved it before, and now I love it even more! Going Mom and I both rank this as one of our favorites! If you’re trying to get off the sugar-laden cream sodas out there, you’ll be surprised to find you’re not sacrificing anything by switching to Zevia’s Cream Soda.
Ginger Ale – I buy this one often, and enjoy it with a little bourbon every now and then. Alone, it’s not a very strong ginger flavor, but it’s light, refreshing, and subtle. Perfect in the Texas heat!
Grapefruit Citrus – Probably my least favorite of the sampler pack, but by no means bad. I actually like the real grapefruit and its slight bitterness, but the slight bitterness in this drink just didn’t do it for me. Like the grape, I’d happily accept if offered to me, but wouldn’t buy this one for myself.
Ginger Root Beer – Ginger + Root Beer = two things I love! Another favorite of ours, and one that I also use with bourbon or a little vodka. This has more of a root beer flavor than anything, but that’s okay with me.
Decisions, decisions….
Cherry Cola – Another winner for me! I used to love Cherry Coke back in my “heavy boy” days and was excited when Zevia first released this flavor. It tastes just like a cherry cola should, and is a perfect replacement for the high calorie, liquid sugar alternative.
Something I found a few years ago was a recipe to make cake with Zevia. The instructions were simple; just use a boxed cake mix and follow the instructions using a can of Zevia for the liquid. If it was yellow cake, Cream Soda was the preferred choice, and if it was chocolate cake, Dr. Zevia (like Dr. Pepper) was suggested.
Well, I’m not a fan of using boxed anything, so I skipped that and tried my own recipe with Cherry Cola. The result was a big hit and Zevia even has it on their website now. Check out my Zevia Cherry Cola Protein Bread recipe here and look around at other creative ways to cook with Zevia.
Kelley and I have been enjoying Zevia for several years now, and have enjoyed watching the health-minded company expand as more people caught on to their guilt-free sodas. Zevia is the only soda we’ve had in our home for a long time, and it was always a treat for us to share a can during lunch when we both worked together.
When Kelley was pregnant with Avery, we anxiously counted each passing week of her pregnancy, and it became a weekly tradition to have a celebratory Zevia to cheers with. Every Wednesday, the completion of another week pregnant, I would pack either a can of Cream Soda or Ginger Root Beer Zevia for us to share. For the major milestones, I’d pack 2 full cans for us each to enjoy!
We loved the fact that Zevia was an extremely delicious safe drink to enjoy while Kelley was pregnant, and it will always have a place in our heart when thinking back to those 9 months leading up when we first met Avery.
Ready for a tasty treat at work!
Now that I’m a stay-at-home parent, we aren’t able to share a Zevia at lunch, but every now and then, I still pack a can for Kelley to enjoy on Wednesday. It makes me happy just picturing the smile on her face as she opens her lunch bag to see a Zevia waiting for her to enjoy.
Another reason to love Zevia is that they have agreed to give 5 lucky readers a 6-pack of their wonderfully refreshing and guilt-free soda. Winners can select the flavor of their choice. All you have to do to enter is complete the Rafflecopter entries below.
Make sure to check out Zevia on the following social media sites and look for great deals and coupons that they’re always sharing! Or go to their site and print off a coupon now!
