Couch day

Today is one of those rare days where I am pretty much glued to the couch all day. Today is a day I am thankful for my hubby to be home. 
Why am I on the couch?  It's because of something called "Patellofemoral pain syndrome." Basically it means my knee hurts.  I overdid it power-walking and think it was the uphill hike with the stroller at Lake Chabot on Father's Day that put it over the edge. 
I went to the doctor's last Tuesday to get it checked out because it was getting worse. It felt heavy, uncomfortable, burned a bit, and felt like there was fluid underneath my knee cap. 
The fancy definition of Patellofemoral pain syndrome at Wikipedia is:
"Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a syndrome characterized by pain or discomfort seemingly originating from the contact of the posterior surface of the patella (back of the kneecap) with the femur (thigh bone). It is the most frequently encountered diagnosis in sports medicine clinics."
I have been wearing a knee brace, icing it occasionally, and taking ibruprofen three times a day. But yesterday I think I overdid it again, taking care of two toddlers. I noticed driving longer periods of time (like I did yesterday when I went to babysit for a friend) irritates my knee. So last night I just laid down in bed with my laptop and today is a couch day. Resting my knee as much as possible I think will be the trick to be a faster recovery, especially since I have a busy toddler and planning to drive to Sacramento next week and San Diego after that. 
 Yay for couch days, especially when you need it. We'll see how long before I get bored. I've been watching some shows on Hulu, doing some reading, and just talking to people on Facebook. Also nursing whenever RaeRae asks.
I really hope my knee recovers soon. If it's not better within 2-3 weeks, my doctor said she will refer me for physical therapy. Insurance doesn't cover 100 percent of that, so not really looking forward to some of out of pocket pay. I did physical therapy for my wrist about three years ago though and that did help a lot. 
Hope everyone else is having a nice weekend. 

A Glassy Review

When Natural House announced the opportunity for bloggers to review their Glassy product, I was excited to sign up and be accepted as one of the 50 bloggers to try it out. It came in the mail a couple of days ago and I had a chance to try after the busy Father's Day weekend. 
For those of you who don't know, Natural House makes natural household cleaning products for various areas of the house. In addition to Glassy, they offer Moppy, Sinky, Trashy, Flushy, and Surfy. These products work through the use of probiotics. For the product I tried, the picture below shows how Glassy works.

Here is the essential information about Glassy:

"Glassy Probiotic Glass Cleaner is a revolutionary new glass cleaner. Our professional strength formula powers through dirt, grime and germs while leaving a streak free sheen. Our probiotics continue to consume germs on the surface after you are done cleaning. Natural House is safe to use on any glass surface and leaves an ultra clean shine.
Features

• Industry-First, Cutting-Edge Probiotic Cleaning Product.
• Convenient spray top nozzle for quick and dispersed application
• Naturally digests odors at their source leaving a fresh botanical scent
• Probiotics create a beneficial, odor eating ecosystem on any and all surfaces
• Active ingredients keep working to maintain germ and odor free surface
• Contains no VOC’s or other harmful chemicals Keeps dangerous pathogens off any surface

Uses

• Safe to use on multiple surfaces including high-gloss surfaces, terrazzo, marble, slate, vinyl, tile, and finished hardwood surfaces
• Formulated to leave Streak-Free Sheen
• Use weekly to promote a healthy and safe home

Benefits

• Leaves no Dulling Residue
• Scrubbing action scours dirt and lifts germs and grime, while driving out odors at their source
• Eco-Friendly, non-toxic, biodegradable.

Glassy Ingredients

Water, Plant Based Surfactant, Citric Acid, Natural Enzymes"

I love the idea of Natural House products because they are non-toxic and safe to use with a toddler and cats around. This fact is particularly important to me so I don't have to worry about all the harsh chemicals being left behind from other cleaning products. In addition to being non-toxic, all of their products are phosphate/APE-free, eco-friendly, and biodegradable. 
How do you use Glassy? Easy-peasy!

I tested Glassy on a couple areas in my home. The first being RaeRae's room. In her room are two big sliding glass doors. These doors make for hours of fun through making silly faces and also a true source of toddler handprints and smudges. RaeRae likes to run up to the mirror, put her hands (and sometimes her face) against the mirror, leaving all those marks. 

Before using Glassy

After using Glassy

You can see in the "After" picture how well Glassy works! The smell was even nice, not like the "cleaners" smell of other products. You know, the blue bottles. Which I have...and often doesn't do a good job. 
The second place where I tried Glassy was my bathroom. The pictures of the mirrors did not turn out so I did not include them here, but I do include before and after pictures of the faucet and the marble counter (which is suited for Glassy too!).

Before: Dirty facuet

After: Clean faucet!

And the countertop:

Before: Smudges and a bit dusty

After: Shiny and clean

 I love that Glassy will continue to work even after I have used it. I highly recommend any of their products for you to try. I also have at home Sinky, Moppy, and Surfy. Surfy is currently my favorite, after Glassy, because it gets used almost every single day. Sinky gets used once a week. I still want to try Flushy, for the toilets. 
Natural House is on Facebook and Twitter. Please go like their page and/or follow them! You can buy their products at their store or on Amazon (for those of you who may have free shipping).

A Busy Father's Day Weekend

We had a nice, busy Father's Day weekend.

Saturday:  
 
My grandparents drove down for the day. They live about two hours away so it was nice to see them. For those who don't know, my grandparents were like my second set of parents while growing up, except with all the spoiling. I used to go over to their house nearly every weekend and even with lived with them some part of my first year of life and then again for a year during college, before I moved to the bay area with my DH (then boyfriend).
RaeRae was up at 5am on Saturday and lucky me, DH got up at the same time anyways so I got an extra hour or so of sleep. I was nervous about RaeRae's nap schedule because we were planning to take my grandparents out for a BBQ picnic for lunch. Lucky me again, RaeRae took a decent power nap from 9:30 to 10:30am shortly before my grandparents arrived close to 11a.m. We gave my gramps his birthday card and a painting from RaeRae. 
I originally wanted to try BBQing at the park across the street and just eat it at home, but they were completely booked. So we drove to a place called the Quarry in Fremont. It was perfect. The Quarry has 5 small lakes, where one of the lakes has a beach for people to wade in the water and lay in the sun. We didn't go to the beach but we found a picnic table and a grill with some shade. It was 88 degrees but windy. 

The beautiful view. RaeRae with my Gramps.

Family Fun pic

My gramps makes the BEST steaks

My grandma, we love her so much

RaeRae eating a potato chip

Smiling for Mama

Sunscreen is important

Our nice picnic!

Sunday:

Because of Saturday's busy day and RaeRae only napping for that one hour in the morning (of the entire day!), RaeRae slept 10 hours straight! She went to bed at 7:30 a.m. and I went into her room at 5:30 a.m. because I knew she would wake soon and I wanted to try to prolong sleepy-time by nursing her. So I brought her into our bed at 5:30 a.m., nursed her, and she slept for two more hours! It was soooo nice to sort of sleep in. 

After nursing her again at 7:30, I cooked breakfast for DH and had RaeRae walk over to her daddy with a Father Day's card we made together. It was adorable. I gave her the card and told her to give it to Daddy, and she did! We enjoyed a nice breakfast together. See picture for yummy food!

Breakfast I made for DH

After breakfast, we relaxed a bit before getting ready to head out for the day. I thought we were going to go a nearby park that I usually take RaeRae to, but DH changed his mind and started driving in the opposite direction without even telling me he changed his mind! We went to Lake Chabot in San Leandro for a 3 mile hike/walk around a nice lake. We took turns pushing the stroller. It was quite a beautiful day, cooler than Saturday, and with lots of families around. 

Daddy and RaeRae

She's so stinking cute

The last time we came here, RaeRae was about 2-3 months old. I asked DH to take a picture of us at a bench where we sat before. I actually nursed her here last time and it was a very windy day. 

Us on the same bench from a year ago

Smiling at Daddy

Us silly pic

Family. Love this pic.

The water was nice enough so we let RaeRae stand in it without her shoes, and of course she got her clothes wet by trying to bend down. Her expressions in some of the pictures are amusing though.

After we finished our walk, we stopped by a nearby cafe called Zocalo. DH heard about it from a co-worker. This cafe was really neat! It had a children's play area with toys and books as well as child-sized furniture. The napkins and cups they served drinks in were all plant-friendly or recycled products. You could tell this cafe was a true community cafe not only through the friendly customer service, but the artwork for sale on the wall, the comfortableness of people sitting, drinking coffee or whatever, and just enjoying their day. 

Whatcha got, Daddy?

Daddy's girl

RaeRae napped for 20 minutes in the car, on the way to Lake Chabot, and that was it. We hoped she would nap at home but nope! We finished the day by setting up a mini pool from my parents on our balcony, where RaeRae played with a water balloon for the first time. 

Fun with a water balloon

Pool time

Did RaeRae sleep another 10 hours this night? Nope! She woke up more times than she would usually do on a regular night, which is about two times. Maybe she was overtired, teething, or going through a growth spurt. Not sure. I'm hoping tonight will go better. 

Overall, it was a very nice yet busy weekend. I ended Sunday night by scoring a new cloth diaper that's rare to find! A 101 Dalmatians print All-in-one by Peachy Green! I've yet to try this brand but I saw the print at a store online and I just knew I had to find it! RaeRae loves this movie! 

HOT HOT HOT Babylegs deal!!

You all know we love our BabyLegs. Of course a baby's legs are adorable, but I'm talking about those cute leg warmers that come in different colors and make diaper changing much easier. 
I'm here to share with you that there's a HOT HOT HOT deal going on the Babylegs site and you don't want to miss out on this if you are looking to get more. 
The deal is 75 percent off 75 dollars worth of products!  Babylegs are generally 10-12 dollars each, but when you add 75 dollars worth of Babylegs products to your cart and enter a code, it automatically takes off 75 percent! This means each Babylegs will only cost you about 2-3 dollars a pair!
Get it while it's hot! And also before they sell out!

Here's my affiliate link! When you order through my link, I get a small commission. So thanks! ;-) 


Here are the important codes to enter at check-out:!


-75 percent off code: HEATWAVE
-My affiliate/VIP code: 1059480

Updated affiliate links!

Hi all!


I just updated all my affiliate links to my blog. So come on over and look on the left side of my blog. There are 8 affiliate pages you can choose from. Some are cloth-diapering stores, one is BabyLegs, and others are various baby-related pages. If you plan to order from any of the stores, you can click on the images and it will take you to my affiliate links. I get credit or rewards for referring people to their shops. Think of it as a thank-you gift to me for all the free consulting work I do. 
Babylegs is a bit unique where you will need to enter my VIP/affiliate code at check-out. The code is found at the end of the url when you click on the link. They always have awesome coupons and deals that you can use combined with my VIP code. 
Thanks bunches!

I have a 16 month old toddler!!

(As usual, my post is a few days late. I wanted to have this finished by last Wednesday, but as a parent, you know how something always come up)
 
 As of June 6th, 2012...I have a 16 month old toddler! Didn't I just write about her 15 month milestones last week?? Time sure flies! I have a busy toddler who loves getting into things, cuddling with mama, following her daddy, and just altogether learning. 
I am excited to share with you the new words she has learned since last month!
In addition to the 30 signs I listed in last month's blog post, she has picked up some more listed below. I've also listed some signs that are evolving.


ASL:

1. Happy
2. Cat (Evolving sign: looks like "food" on the side of her mouth/cheek)
3. Down
4. Nose
5. Eyes
6. Mouth
7. Flower (twists her finger at the corner mouth, almost like the sign for candy but more side movement)
8. Sheep
9. Horse
10. Socks
11. Shoes (evolving sign, looks like sign for "with" except with correct movement)
12. Duck (changing from thumb-finger pinch in the air to whole hand backwards on the lip)
13. Tries to sign her name sign but with 1-handshape on the cheek
14. More (with two index fingers against each other) to mean "more" or "I want that!"

English words, in addition to last month's blog:

1. Tango
2. Down
3. Up
4. Baby
5. Mommy (changed from last month's "ma-ma-me")
6. Kitty
7. All-done
8. More (sounds like "muh")
9.  Nana
10. Bapa
11. Dat (means "that")

There may be more but my husband couldn't remember any and typically she tries to copy words at times but doesn't always repeat it later. 
 
RaeRae's developing skills (gross motor, fine motor, social, etc):

1. Throwing!
2. She tries to put her socks and shoes on by herself. They don't get on her feet without my help but she knows where they are supposed to go.
3. Eating more with a fork/spoon.
4. Running
5. Stomping feet
6. Walking backwards
7. Pulls string toys against the floor (example: doggy toy with a leash)
8. Ride her sit-down scooter back and forth
9. More dancing (sideways instead of just up and down)
10. Turns individual pages in her book (been doing this for a while, but getting better at it)
11. Pretends to drink from her tea party cups and pour her tea kettle for more
12. Can buckle her seatbelt and stroller clips (but can't unbuckle! Phew!)
13. Understands puzzles have pieces and tries to put them on the board, even if they are in the wrong place
14. Connect building lego blocks together (the large ones)
15. More I'm sure, but that's all I've remembered...

 Things I like about having a 16 month old:

• Language spurt
• Communicating with me on what she sees (i.e. Daddy has a nose, daddy has a nose, I have a tongue, etc). 
• Watching her explore objects with her hands and eyes
• Reading books
• Watching her run like a wild monkey
• Visiting fun places like the zoo and the parks 
• Becoming a Daddy's girl (She will want only Daddy at times, and pretty much is all his when he comes home from work)

Things I don't like about having a 16 month old:

• Picky eater! 
• Understands and uses the word "no" 
• Tantrums
• Down to one nap a day (and having to schedule our outings far away from nap time so they do not affect nap times)

Here are pictures from the last month. Enjoy!

We got a new carseat!!

Summer activities

I find myself on the hunt for more toddler-friendly activities. Hanging out at home does not always do it for us. Summer "vacation" is coming up soon and I will have more free time on my hands. There's no subbing opportunities for me this summer so I will be keeping us busy with whatever I can find on a frugal budget. Here I talk about some activities we have found or plan to do.


Swimming
Swim classes. I took RaeRae to her first swim class last Friday. The class was in a large, heated indoor pool about 10 minutes from us. It was only for half an hour. The class is called Aqua Babies because they are just learning to get a feel for the water and learn some basic survival skills if they happened to fall in the water. At least that's what I think. RaeRae did good overall for her first time. She didn't want to do everything but she didn't scream to get out or cry the whole time. 

Starting this Monday, RaeRae will have swim classes at 6pm for the next 4 weeks (the last of the Spring session). Her daddy will be the main person in the water with her for this class. It'll be good for them to have good daddy-daughter time, especially after being with Mama all day long. 
If we like it, I will consider adding on for summer classes in the morning once a week when the summer session begins in mid-June. Classes are 11 dollars a class, and you must pay up front for least one class a week. So that means 4 classes for spring and at least 12 classes for summer. I love that they are open 9am to 9pm and are flexible with the timing for classes if you need to change or prefer a morning class.

Super Franks
We've also found an indoor play-place called Super Franks. It's almost like Chuck E. Cheese with the arcade and pizza, except there are more options for younger-age children. There are four rooms suited for children 5 and younger. One of the rooms is more suited for crawling and just-walking tots. Soft toys, walking toys, scooters, mini-play houses, mini-slides, and the sort. The walls are painted with animals for a certain theme. One room is a barnyard theme, another is a safari or wildlife theme, and upstairs has an under-the-sea theme and also a "city" theme where kids can dress up as fire-fighters, play in pretend-kitchens. It's 7 dollars per kid, but you can leave and come back on the same day if you need to. 

The parks.
We live right across street a cute little park with all the basic essentials. It's nice that we can just walk there anytime, and it's FREE! I think in the past month we have gone to this park or other nearby parks about 3-4 times a week, at least. I never thought I'd value going to the park so much before. The parks in my neighborhood have huge sand-boxes and toddler play areas. One of the parks has a water play area as well. Fun fun! And perfect for playdates. 

The zoo.
We used to go to the San Diego zoo religiously since we had a one year membership pass. I miss that zoo. The zoos near us are about 30-45 minutes of a drive. We went to the Oakland Zoo but it was alright. Maybe it was just that day where RaeRae wasn't in the right mood. But I felt bored with that zoo, compared to the San Diego one. Maybe we will try going again. I've yet to get the membership pass since it's a bit of a drive from us, meaning infringing on nap time. 

Museums!
We have learned of a few museums with toddler-friendly play areas that we still have to visit! The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. Children's Museum in San Francisco. Just to name a few. I heard the one in San Jose has a room for 0-5 year olds. Must check it out soon! I wonder what other museums are in the Bay Area for us to see. 

Art projects...
One of my personal goals is do more art projects at home with RaeRae. Sensory activities such as painting with food or playdoh. I'm still working on this personal project. 

Library?
I took RaeRae to our local library but was dismayed with the selection of toddler-friendly books. It seemed pretty picked out. We have several books at home like I mentioned in one of my recent blogs. But going to the library would be a good weekly experience for RaeRae to have exposure to a public place of books. Learning the social behaviors and just overall being out. 

Ardenwood Farm
We took RaeRae to the Ardenwood Farm in Fremont this morning. It has a small train you can ride around the farm to get to the other side and learn a bit of basic history about the animals and farm itself. We saw goats, sheep, cows, horses, chickens, turkeys, peacocks, squirrels, and dogs. There were also baby goats and sheep. One of the chicken came up to RaeRae in her stroller and stole the cracker out from her hand! The look on her face was utter SHOCK! They had no fear of the humans, but turns out there were two foxes that came onto the farm recently and ate some of the chickens. The chicken coop was neat and open for the chickens to walk in and out during the day time. I saw two mama goats and kids nursing from it.
It was nice that this farm wasn't too busy and we could finish in about an hour. It costs normally 3 dollars per person (over age of 3) on a weekday and 6 dollars on Sundays. Not sure for Saturdays. And it's also about 10 minutes from us.


Still I want to know, what else? What else can be done on a frugal budget that is fun and appropriate for toddlers? I know I can do a variety at home but RaeRae loves going on.