Friday, November 30, 2007

autolite flareglo

For some reason, I tend to hit curbs when I turn corners. I'm sure it has nothing to do with being a bad driver or spatially challenged or something, I suspect the curbs jump out at me when I'm not looking. I've had to replace two tires in the last three years because I hit curbs and the tire blew out. Once as I pulled into the parking lot of my friend's apartment building, and another time in the parking lot of huge baby superstore. Slightly pitiful, I admit.

Both times were at night, and both times my car ended up stranded in the middle of a trafficky area and all I had at my disposal to ensure that no one hit me were my hazard lights. Both times I also thought to myself that it would have been pretty helpful to have had flares or cones or something that would make people realize before they were practically on top of me, that my car was unable to move.

I'm pleased to report that I now have that product: the Autolite Flareglo. The Flareglo Safety Lite is a small battery operated light that serves the way traditional flares would, without the whole live flame thing. Each Flareglo has three super bright LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights inside of a small red plastic casing. The lights blink rapidly and can be seen from up to 500 feet away. I didn't actually measure out 500 feet to test it out, but I did walk down the street while Josh stood at one end to make sure the lights were easily visible, and according to my tester (Josh), the lights are easy to see and really obviously blinking.

The Flareglo Safety Lites were compact and easy to store in the car, an issue for us since I am a rather serious packrat in my car. These are small enough to fit in a safety kit in your car, or even in the glove compartment if it wasn't packed full of napkins and straws like some people. The batteries were also easy to install in each Flareglo. My only complaint was that one of the tiny LED lights was burnt out in one of the Flareglo lights I received, and I wasn't sure how to go about replacing it. The light still worked fine, since there are three LED lights in each Flareglo, but it did make me wonder whether there is an easy way to replace the bulbs. This is a minor concern, though, if you consider the fact that with flares you'd have to keep flammable stuff in your car. Batteries and LED lights are more reasonable, especially with kids around.

All in all, I'd recommend the Autolite Flareglo Safety Lites, especially if you have a penchant for having car emergencies. I think they'll come in handy in the future, especially now that I'm carrying precious cargo around with me. Check out the rest of the reviews at Parent Bloggers and for more information about the other Autolite products.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

keeping it simple

Organization is not my strong suit, not by a long shot. I consider our house to be in a state of "controlled chaos" most of the time. I keep the chaos at bay every day by making little lists all over the house, or by putting away just enough of our stuff, or organizing things just enough to keep the house dissolving into a complete disaster. Lately, it's been starting to get to me. And the biggest problem is that with all the appointments that happen with a baby, I've missed a few because I don't have a good planning system.

Just this week, Gabe had a playdate in the morning, and another playdate and coffee (for me) on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday we had a doctor's appointment, needed to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, plus we need to pack for our trip to Florida for Thanksgiving. Wednesday had a music class and lunch scheduled, plus a quilting class for me in the evening. Thursday (today) we have to go to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for a dish we are making for book club tonight, plus we have an afternoon playdate, and a music class in the afternoon. We also need to buy a travel crib sheet for the trip. Phew! And I attempt to keep this all straight in my head! Because I'm insane!

Thankfully, though, Parent Bloggers asked me to test out the Family Matters product line by Day Runner. Day Runner has come out with a color-coded organizational line, that includes:
  • an undated erasable wall planner
  • a wirebound monthly/weekly appointment book
  • erasable door reminders
  • activity folders, and
  • storage cases

I tried out each of the products within our own family, and Josh ended up begging me to let him use the storage cases and erasable door reminders in his office because he was such a big fan of them.

The thing I liked best about using the Family Matters system, is that the information was all in one obvious, clear, easy to access place. The erasable wall planner let me put up all our monthly plans in one place that both Josh and I could see on a daily/weekly basis. With all our information in one spot, there were fewer discussions about where Gabe and I would be on Wednesday afternoon, or whether we had dinner plans on Saturday night. I could also mentally prepare for the week ahead when I saw it all written out in front of me.

Another big hit were the erasable door reminders. These were great! We hung one on the front door, one on the kitchen door, one on the bathroom door, and Josh took one to the office. These little dry erase boards have a spot to hold a pen, so whenever you remember something, you can jot it down as you run out the door. I actually remembered tons more errands that I needed to complete since this list was the last thing I saw as a ran out the door. Plus, they are kind of cute, and seriously convenient. Josh used it in his office to write himself quick phone messages or reminders to himself. He got compliments from his coworkers because people thought they were interesting and functional.











Although I thought I would, I didn't end up using the wirebound appointment book much, mainly because I thought it was rather large. It was the kind of traditional wirebound notebook that the office stores sell, about the size of an 8*11 page. It reminded me a little of the grading notebooks that my teachers used in elementary school. It was color-coded to coordinate with the rest of the set, so if you have a spot to keep a notebook like that, then I think it would be helpful.



The storage cases and folders are also coordinated to go with the rest of the set, and they were easy to use, functional and relatively discrete, so I didn't mind having them visible on my shelves.










I only have one baby, so I color-coordinated everything to be assigned one to myself, one to Josh, one to Gabe, one to the dogs, and one to miscellaneous. The dogs didn't do much this month (shocking), so their colors didn't get used much, and of course, Josh and mine and miscellaneous tended to overlap, so we didn't get as much use out of the system as someone who has more than one kid, or older kids that require lots of appointments and activities.

My one complaint is that I wanted the system to be a little more cute or stylish. It was pretty straight forward and clean, but the style didn't necessarily go with my decorating style. If I had the choice, I would have made it a little more colorful.

All in all, I thought the Family Matters line would be really useful for a family on the go. It was functional, helpful, and had tons of coordinating products that would help you to stay organized. If you're interested, check out the other reviews on Parent Bloggers to hear what everyone else thought.

The good news too, is that I have some leftover products to share with all of you!

Leave me a comment telling me why you need organizational help, and I'll pick a winner at random and ship off one of the products for you to try! This year could be the year we get organized!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

rockin' the rykas

Since Gabe was born, I've been hitting the streets like I've never hit them before. Walking with him (since my post-baby body isn't quite ready for running), either in a sling or in the stroller, has been my sanity saver when I get a little stir crazy from being cooped up in the house. I'm notoriously bad about my shoe choices for our long walks, though, mainly because I'm too lazy to change shoes or go hunt through my closet to find my sneakers. Inevitably, I find myself walking to our town center and back (sometimes 3 miles or more!) in snow boots or flip-flops. Not some of the smartest decisions I've ever made, I have to say.

Given this unfortunately bad habit, I was psyched when Parent Bloggers asked me to review some new sneakers. I figured that maybe shiny new sneakers would tempt me into wearing them instead of taking the lazy route of the sandals sitting by the front door. I was right.

I received rykä's MC2 Walk shoes in the mail a few weeks ago, and was pleasantly surprised to see that they were pretty cute. I'm not very daring when it comes to sneakers because I want them to go with whatever I have on, so that generally limits me to white or light gray sneakers. Sadly, I find myself wondering if I'm in the minority on the white sneaker thing, because most of the cute sneakers come in bright pinks or purples or an assortment of neon colors. The white sneakers available look like my mother might wear them, and if you saw the kinds of sneakers my mother picks out, you'd be assured that this is not a good thing. Thankfully, the MC2 Walk shoes are cute. They are simple, stream-lined, not too wide or flashy, and go with everything.

Next, the shoes had to pass the comfort test. I have super duper high arches, and since getting a hairline fracture in my foot during college, I need lots of support in those super duper high arches or I end up with stabbing pains in my feet. At the same time, however, I can't have shoes that are too tight or I'll also end up with stabbing pains in my feet. I am a very picky shoe wearer- no high heels for me- especially not while toting a 20+ pound baby. I decided to test the MC2 Walk shoes during a serious test- Gabe and my flight from Boston to San Francisco two weeks ago. I knew this was a risky proposition. Our flight had a layover in Atlanta, and with a baby, a heavy carry-on bag and a stroller, I needed to be comfortable, just in case I had to make a mad dash for our next flight. My feet also swell during long flights like these, so I wanted to be able to get my shoes on and off easily.

I'm pleased to report that the shoes were surprisingly comfortable, particularly for my first time wearing them. The sole of the shoe provides fantastic support, and I found myself bouncing along through the terminals while pushing Gabe in his stroller. My feet never felt sore, even at the end of our journey when my feet were definitely swollen and tired. I did some pacing up and down the aisles of the plane with my tiny traveler, and the MC2 Walk shoes were definitely a pleasure to have on. Once we were in California, I wore them on walks with Gabe and was happy to find them to be very comfortable, no matter the terrain. I didn't try to run with them, since rykä makes both running and walking shoes, and I'd specifically requested walking shoes, but I think they would even work on slow jogs.

rykä creates shoes for women, by women, taking into account the specific comfort and design needs of women. After wearing their shoes for a few weeks, I definitely believe it. I wouldn't normally order shoes without trying them on, but these rykäs fit like a charm. I'm even building up the courage to join our neighborhood gym, because these last 5 pounds are apparently not going to melt off all by themselves. I'm going to have to actually break a sweat before I'll fit back into my old clothes. I have a feeling these MC2 Walk sneakers are going to make breaking that sweat a little more comfortable.

You'll be happy to know, though, that if you disagree with me on the white sneaker front,
rykä has lots of colorful options for you to choose from, both on the running and walking front. I highly recommend the MC2 Walk sneakers, though, if you're more of a walker, like me. rykä also has a couple of fantastic tips to help you determine both (a) what kind of shoe you need, and (b) what shape of foot you have.

In the meantime, rykä is giving away 50 pairs of shoes a day until October 25th on their website! Plus, Parent Bloggers is having a blog blast this Friday, September 14th, for the opportunity to win a full work-out outfit, including rykä sneakers! Check it out and make sure to check out rykä the next time you're picking up some new sneakers!

Thursday, August 2, 2007

my secret savior

I have a secret.

I'm terribly ashamed of this secret, and I work to keep it hidden from my co-workers and friends, although sometimes it sneaks out despite my best intentions.

I am horribly disorganized.

Disgustingly.

Seriously.

If you look in my desk drawers, you'll find lovely systems of organization, folders, files, labels. They are all set up differently. Sometimes by date, sometimes by category, sometimes random, but in the end, they are all unused. I have grand plans about how I am going to keep my life organized, and in the end, it all gets thrown by the wayside because I get caught up in life.

I've tried PDAs, Blackberries, paper agendas, keeping it all in my head, keeping it all online, and none of it seems to work.

When I was pregnant, and since giving birth to Gabriel, it has become a serious feat to keep track of all our appointments and meetings and classes. This kid is a serious social butterfly!
All of this makes me nervous because I know how hard it is for me to stay organized, so when my sister in law told me about momAgenda, I jumped at the chance to try something that might actually work.

Last year, when I was in my last month of pregnancy, I purchased the momAgenda in the hopes that it might keep me organized through the last-minute classes, doctor's appointments and errands that I needed to complete before the birth. The good news is that the momAgenda is very stylish and easy to use. If anything was going to help me get organized, this was it. The agenda is set up as a calendar in the beginning, with one month set out over two pages, and then another section with space for you to write in your daily appointments and reminders. The daily pages are listed at one week over two pages.

The daily section is what really sold me on the agenda, because there is room to write out appointments, but also room below that to list out the names of your children (or husband) and what errands or reminders you might need for them.












This was extraordinarily helpful to me, because besides appointments, I also needed a section to write out the different things I needed to remember for each of Gabriel and Josh. For example, today Gabe and I have music class and a lunch date, but I also need to remember to go look at car seats for him at some point today, and Josh needs me to pick up some stuff for him at the pharmacy. Before, I would just have made a long list of everything that needed to get done, and I would have to keep reading the whole list to decide what could wait and what couldn't, and I'd have to keep rereading the list to decide how to structure the day. Sounds like it isn't a big deal, but now I see everything I have to do at a glance, all organized clearly on the page.

My other favorite feature is that at the bottom of the page there is a category for dinners for the week. I've used this feature for the last couple of months and it is so helpful, I can't believe I didn't do this before. On one of the days during the weekend, I sit down for 5 minutes and decide what we're going to eat for each day of the week, and jot it down quickly. Then on Sunday or Monday I go to the grocery store for the ingredients, and I never have to think about it again. If I list out "chicken" for Wednesday, then when I look at the agenda on Tuesday, I know I need to defrost the chicken the day before. Or if I list "salmon" for Thursday, I know that I need to stop by the grocery store to pick it up. Before using this system, I was agonizing every evening over what we would eat and fretting because we had no vegetables in the house or no rice in the house. Inevitably, I was always missing something.

The momAgenda has a few other cool features, like a section at the beginning for important phone numbers and websites. I've used this a few times for airline numbers or rental car company numbers, especially when I'm not near a computer. There are also section for party planning and vacation planning, and a phone book at the back that is removable from year to year, so you don't need to reprint everything, you can just transfer it. With the advent of cell phones, I don't use this feature much, but I have jotted down some numbers there when I meet someone and don't have my cell phone handy.

Like all systems, you have to use the momAgenda for it to work, but I've found that even for me, this agenda is incredibly easy to use. It comes in 5 colors and several different sizes and styles. My only complaint is that it is a bit heavy, but I have to admit that I chose the larger size because I prefer the bigger pages. I get around this by keeping it in the car rather than my diaper bag.

Long story short, the momAgenda is a huge help when organizing the life of a little one, and I only imagine that as Gabe gets bigger, it'll be even more helpful! The agenda runs from August to August, so I just purchased my new momAgenda (in purple!) and cracked open the binding last weekend. It is just waiting to be filled in with our exciting little life!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

herbs, vitamins or maybe a prescription?

What are my complaints these days? Well, exhaustion is one, irritability is another, and my leftover pregnancy weight is one of the biggest. All of these combine, of course, for forgetfulness, a low sex-drive, and occasional aches and pains. I don't like to call my doctor unless I'm really feeling unbearably sick, so these are the types of complaints that go diagnosed over the Internet, or simply tolerated indefinitely. Before going to business school, Josh used to work at a pharmaceutical company, and one of his early assignments was to take various illnesses and do Internet searches on them to see what type of medical information was readily available to the public. I don't need to tell you that the response was alarming. For the same problem, he might uncover one website that told you it was no big deal, while another told you that you were on the verge of death, and another might give you inaccurate advice on medical procedures or medicines you should be getting. From then on, Josh told me never to go on the Internet for my information.

Even though I know that using "Dr. Google" can be dangerous, it is far too tempting to resist simply typing in my symptoms and getting instant gratification. That is why I loved reading The 24-Hour Pharmacist. In one reputable book that I could keep in my library, I had information about things like fatigue, weight loss, anxiety, heart problems, cramps and crankiness, among others. The author, Suzy Cohen, R. Ph. has been a pharmacist for 2 decades and has a syndicated column that reaches 24 million readers across the country. Although I've always thought that pharmacists would be more likely to promote prescription drugs than anything else, The 24-Hour Pharmacist recommends natural options such as herbs, enzymes and supplements instead of overmedicating with drugs.

If you were to sit in my living room for an evening of television viewing, you'd discover that this is one of my biggest pet peeves. I hate the fact that now we have to sit through commercial after commercial for the drug companies. As my mom pointed out last night, we see so many drug commercials that we can now recognize the drugs just from the description. A little purple pill anyone? How about the butterfly?

It worries me that people watch these commercials promising quick fixes for any discomfort, and might go to their doctor with a specific drug in mind to request it, whether or not that drug is the right choice for them. Additionally, if you wait for the end of the commercials, or read the drug inserts, the long list of side effects are often much worse than the original symptoms!

Because of this, I'm a big fan of either trying to prevent illnesses before they occur, or trying to resolve illnesses through natural remedies- both of which The 24-Hour Pharmacist tries to do. Specifically, some of the remedies described even hope to get you healthy and off any prescribed drugs through natural remedies. It sounds a little crazy to say that, but the author doesn't advise you to stop taking your medications cold turkey, but rather to start following natural remedies, or try them as an alternative and then see if your health problems don't resolve. She describes different health problems in great detail to zero in on what the problem might be, and then advises you to work with your doctor to see if supplements might help you as much or more (!!) than drugs.

For example, in her chapter on Overcoming Fatigue: From Stupor Woman to Super Woman, Suzy Cohen R. Ph. describes the different types of fatigue experienced by different women. She has catchy names for the different problems (I think I'm a Juggling Janet) and then describes what might be causing the problems (maybe a drug reaction, maybe an adrenal problem, maybe your thyroid) and then makes suggestions for natural remedies (ask for an alternate medication, change your diet, try an herbal supplement, try an over the counter additive).

My mom and I were glued to her chapter on weight loss, Lose Fat While You Sleep... When Pink Elephants Fly. My mom, specifically, is always trying to lose weight without doing anything, and she's willing to try loads of diet pills if she thinks they'll help. I'm constantly chastising her and begging her to just e-x-e-r-c-i-s-e, but the appeal of an easy fix is just too much. I was sure that The 24-Hour Pharmacist would be a chapter telling you that all the herbal remedies and diet pills are all a waste of money, but instead, Suzy Cohen went into great detail about why each supplement works or doesn't work and what you can try for your different problems. My mom, needless to say, was THRILLED. In fact, this past week we traveled to Montreal and Quebec, and before we left she followed one of the book's suggestions and purchased some hoodia gordonii in pill form. According to her, the hoodia was a raging success. Even when faced with the French treats we passed at the bakeries in Quebec, she was able to resist engorging herself. That is HUGE for her, because notoriously, she has no will power. She's excited to try some of the other remedies described also, and I may just have to eat my words.

Unfortunately, I had to use my mom as my guinea pig because since I'm still breastfeeding Gabriel, I was a little nervous to add anything new to my diet. One suggestion I did follow from the book was to add Omega 3 fatty acids to my diet. I purchased both fish oils and flax seed oils, and alternated for the last month while taking one in the morning and one at night. Gabe's pediatrician approved, by the way. I can't tell you 100% for sure that the fatty acids did it, but I lost about 4 more pounds that had previously been stuck on my frame, and my skin seemed clearer, my hair shinier, and best of all, I felt a little less fatigued and with a little more energy.
I didn't make any other changes besides adding these supplements to my diet, so I'm definitely sticking with it. Plus, of course, we've all heard of how great Omega 3's are for our bodies, so it is certainly worth trying.

I could go on and on about the book, because even the chapters that don't apply to me (yet), like the ones on stomach or bone problems were interesting. My mom is begging me to let her borrow it because she found the information so helpful. The 24-Hour Pharmacist is more than worth it's price, especially if you are a closet Internet diagnostician.

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The Parent Bloggers are giving away a $50 gift certificate to CVS, so if you'd like to be entered in the running, leave a comment on the post for The 24-Hour Pharmacist.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

rrrrrrr... a parent bloggers review

Parent Bloggers Review

I grew up speaking Spanish. In fact, Spanish was my first language because my parents didn’t speak much English when I came along. I learned the little bits of English that they knew from them, and then learned more in school and of course, from television. I went through different stages during my childhood of refusing to speak Spanish or being embarrassed to speak Spanish in front of friends. When I was 10, though, we took a trip for 3 months to Argentina to visit all of our family and friends, and since then, I’ve been enraptured with the language. All of a sudden, I realized what being bilingual meant. Since then, I’ve worked to keep up the language, including studying there in high school, college and law school, each for a semester. I’ve tried to get back to Argentina whenever possible, and Josh even took an immersion trip to Costa Rica 2 years ago in the hopes that he’d be able to speak Spanish fluently in the future.

It appears that Gabriel is also working on being bilingual. At least, he’s been gargling and gurgling so much, that my mother in law asked me the other day if he was practicing rolling his r’s. I doubt that, but I certainly have been working to make sure that he will also grow up bilingual. And trust me, this is harder than it sounds. I have to remind myself constantly to speak to him in Spanish, even when Josh is around. I have also been buying books and music CD’s in Spanish so that when we read and sing together, he will constantly be exposed to the language.

When the Parent Bloggers asked me to review the Boca Beth language program, I was excited. Gabriel is still too young at 4 and a half months to give me much of an indication as to whether he likes the products, but I tried them out myself to see what I thought. The Boca Beth set that we received included a DVD called “I like animals”, music CD, coloring activity book, Boca puppet and maraca. All of these products come in a set that retails for $29.99.

The first thing we tried out was the musical CD, along with the props. I tried mimicking the songs from the CD with the Boca puppet. Gabriel was a fan, and I agreed that Boca was pretty cute, with bright colors and ease of maneuverability. The maraca was also a hit with Gabe, although his rhythm was a bit off. The CD had 15 songs that included phrases in both English and Spanish, often directly translated one after the other. The same song might include one sentence in English, followed by the same sentence in Spanish, or vice versa. The songs were catchy and not too long, and I was able to get through a few of them before Gabriel lost interest (not bad for a 4 month old, I’d say). I didn’t love the CD, though, mainly because I would have preferred a full song in each language, or at least a full section of each song in the different languages. Since almost every sentence was in a different language, I thought it could be a little confusing for a non-native speaker. I worry that it might not be totally clear whether each sentence is a repetition of the previous sentence in the other language, or whether it is just a continuation of the song. I did think the songs were fun for kids, though, and as long as you were clear on how the songs were structured, you’d definitely learn Spanish from the CD.

The DVD won me over, though. Gabe doesn’t watch TV yet, but when he does, I’m sure he’ll love the DVD. I believe that the best way to learn another language is by seeing language in context, live and in action, and that is what the DVD does. The DVD is interesting enough to keep a child’s attention, and included quite a bit of vocabulary and language. The DVD’s description boasted 200 vocabulary words and 85 phrases. Not too shabby for one DVD, that’s for sure. Animals are featured throughout, with their names in both Spanish and English, along with descriptive sentences in each language. I also loved the fact that Gabriel will hear grammar and other words besides just the names of the animals. I may even try to imitate that structure when I teach him other words in Spanish and English in the future.

The coloring book was cute, but definitely too old for a baby. I did show it to my 7 year old nephew and almost 4 year old niece, and they both seemed interested in learning the different Spanish words featured in the book. I was pleased to see that the products will apparently appeal to a broad range of ages. Once Gabriel is old enough to understand a little more, I suspect we’ll be using the whole set of products for quite some time.

My overall feeling about the products is that they will definitely come in handy if you’d like to introduce a foreign language to your child. Obviously, they can’t do it all by themselves, but the DVD and CD could certainly spark an interest in Spanish in your child. All the products appear to be entertaining for children, and I’d definitely recommend it to friends.

If you’re interested in checking out one of the Boca Beth sets, leave a comment on Parent Bloggers for a chance to win a free copy!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

in the eternal quest for more fiber

Since being pregnant, my quest for enough fiber has been a never-ending one, as I'm sure you all can relate.

I have to share my newest discovery... Fiber One's Granola Bars. Seriously, I cannot stop talking about these granola bars because they are sooo delicious, and the best part is that they have 35% of your daily fiber. 35%!!! Do you know how many vegetables I have to eat in order to get to 35% of my fiber?!

I have never had tastier granola bars than these, and I tried both flavors- Oats and Chocolate and Peanut Butter, and both were fantastic. I thought that maybe I was crazy because I loved these bars so much, but I ran them by both Josh and my parents, and all agreed that they are sweet and yummy. More like a candy bar, than a granola bar. I even made my mom take me straight to the grocery store in California to pick some up, because I love taking a short break in the afternoon with one of the granola bars and a cup of decaf coffee as a quick pick-me-up.

The funniest thing is that I googled the granola bars to see where I could find them here in California, and there were tons of blog posts about them, so I'm not the only convert.

I'd definitely give them a try if you are also in the hunt for fiber, and if you don't like them, send them my way!

Monday, February 26, 2007

public service announcement for new moms

I told Gabriel that it's about time that he starts making a living around here, we're not running a free joint. So Gabriel and I have been hard at work for the past couple of weeks reviewing a product from the Parent Bloggers Network- the Burpcatcher. The Parent Bloggers Network reviews all kinds of kid and parent appropriate products through blogging. I've been looking at their products for a while now and have found tons of items that are interesting, so check it out if you have a minute!

If this is your first visit to the Halloweenlover household, welcome! I'm a new mom to an 8 week old baby boy (Gabriel), on maternity leave from my law firm in Boston, married to a business school student (Josh) who is currently knee deep in his post-graduation job search, and living with our two adorable pooches.

I have to admit that many things about being a new mom were a surprise to me- the explosive and leaky diapers, the socks that constantly slip off, the dry skin (for both of us), and definitely, DEFINITELY, the spit-up. My mom never mentioned the spit-up and my niece and nephew never seemed to do it, at least when I was around, so I was wholly unprepared for the prolific, ahem, liquid that could appear without warning. So when the Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review the Burpcatcher, I was psyched!

Funnily enough, I'd just seen an advertisement for the Burpcatcher when I received the email from PBN. The Burpcatcher is just like a regular burp cloth, but with a pocket at one end. Once you place the Burpcatcher over your shoulder or arm, the pocket automatically hangs open, and stays open, to catch any spit-up that might ensue from a burping session. The Burpcatcher comes in a couple of options, both costing $9.99. You can either purchase a package of two flannel Burpcatchers with a ribbon lining in pink, blue or green, or one fleece Burpcatcher also coming in pink, blue or green. Gabe was a little disappointed to receive his sample Burpcatcher in pink, but after some convincing he agreed to try it out anyway.





See? Doesn't he look a little moody about the pinkness?







The Burpcatcher is the first burp cloth to include a pocket that catches spit-up rather than letting it run down your back, or over your arm and onto the rest of your clothing.
The hardest part about using the Burpcatcher, is to remember to pick it up every time you go to burp your baby, or if you know that you are approaching a fussy time that often includes spit-up. In our case, Gabe doesn't consistently spit-up so I occasionally risk it and leave off the burp cloth, but since I was trying the product I made an effort to use it constantly and it certainly worked.

We've found over the last 2 months that regular burp cloths aren't absorbent enough, so for the most part we stick with cloth diapers. I was happy to find that the flannel fabric was just as absorbent as the cloth diapers we've been using and caught most of the spit-up before it reached the pocket, but the pocket did save my sweater a couple of times. We also draped it over the boppy and leaned him onto the boppy for some modified tummy time. It caught some unanticipated spit-up then too. I even brought it to my new mommy's group to see what some of the other mothers thought, and those of us that have experienced the spit-up agreed that it would have been a great gift. The colors are simple enough to go with anyone's style. It would be a cute shower gift if you were in the market for gifts.

Now if only Burpcatcher could come up with a burping bib with a pocket too, for those spit-up episodes when I'm sitting Gabe up in front of me for a chat!

All in all, I was definitely pleased with these burp cloths and found them easy to use and pretty cute. One of the other reviewers mentioned that in her dryer the Burpcatchers were the last things to dry, but I didn't have that experience, although now I'm wondering if maybe I'm overdrying my clothes! I'd definitely recommend them to a new mom or anyone looking for a baby gift.