Round Up – Issue 3: December 2012

Hey Gang, ready for a round up? I FINALLY finished writing the Pregnancy Calendar so keep an eye out for that in the new year as well as more posts from me now that I have that monkey off my back – I think it’s epic, man. 

Here are some of the things that landed on my laptop that I thought were cool and worth mentioning.

Bobee Diaper & Wipe Dispenser: This lands under the why-the-hell-has-no-one-thought-of-this-before? It’s a wall-mounted diaper and wipe caddy that allows for one-handed access so you can keep one hand safely on your baby. I can’t tell you how many times I cursed the wipe container because I couldn’t pull the wipe out with one hand while cleaning up a massive back-shit disaster. It also holds the diapers so your baby can’t grab five and drag them through said disaster (happened to me three times). It runs around $50 but it looks like some places have it on sale now.

 

Campchickaree Prints: Someone sent me a link to these and I thought they would be great in a nursery. This is the grizzly from California and they also have a badger from Wisconsin. I’m hoping they have a whole series of states but I never actually checked with them. As soon as you show me a picture of a bear, I just run with it and don't look back. It’s $16.

 

Dear Kate: At first glance these guys just look like they make pretty underthings, but all their underpants (I refuse to say “panties) actually have a built-in lining provides a leak-resistant, breathable layer to guard against leaks and other delightful surprises of motherhood. They sent me the pair in the picture (Which is exactly how I looked in them down to the noticeable space between my upper thighs. Snort.) Even though I didn’t test them through a wardrobe malfunction in white pants, they did hold up to sneezing on a full bladder and watching Community so I’d say they’re winners. I would consider them an environmentally friendly alternative to pantyliners. They also have a sale on now.

 

TOMgirl Apparel: While we’re on the topic of underwear. I should also mention these brilliant nursing bras from TOMgirl. When Amanda emailed me about them I was a little skeptical about a bra being sold on Etsy ­– I think I picture two quilted triangles held together with hemp – but she sent me one and it’s beautifully made with no hint of hemp triangles.

The Perfect Pregnancy Bra has a back closure, made with Velcro that adjusts eight or more inches to ease you through weight changes due to pregnancy and breastfeeding. They don’t have underwires and they have the nice padding in the cups to minimize headlights and the charming drink-coaster look you get from nursing pads. You can sleep in it and the open hooks allow for nursing. They are made in the USA and they run around $47.

 

Pregnant Banana Blog: Fantastic pregnancy blog where a woman chronicles her pregnancy. I’ve been meaning to tell you about this one for a while because I think it’s honest, fun and well written and as luck would have it, she just had her baby nine days ago!

 

Ask Your Dad Blog: I found this fella through one of his articles, 5 Things I’d Forgotten About Having a Newborn, featured on Huffington Post and I just fell in love with his site. He calls his two kids The Duchess and The Captain and his chats with his daughter will just melt your heart. Go read it.

 

Shit Stay at Home Moms Say: A reader sent me this video and I nearly died. When I posted it on Facebook some people got testy about the whole stay-at-home-mom reference, but I think all mothers, including me, have said half this crap at one time or another. I just can’t decide if the original or the outtakes are funnier.

 

I also love these cats:

 

I need these salt and pepper shakers (if they weren’t $125)

 

And I love this kid and his innocent, beautiful, unshitted outlook on life:

 

Lastly, I’ve stared a keepsake board on Pinterest that features all those personalized things that make us cry now that we have kids. Damn you sentiment!

Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve, my Pretties. Let’s have an amazing 2013, shall we?

Round Up – Issue 2: November 2012

Okay, so I missed October’s Round Up. So I’ll be damned if I’m going to miss November because I’ve found some really cool shit that I think you’ll like. Here goes:

 

Someone passed along this site called Family Bedrock and they have some really neat stuff. I’m particularly fond of the Tummy Tie – pregnancy aside, ‘tis the season for tight pants and I may get one myself. They have an interesting cross section of products including these wicked soothers and this Pure Poppet lip balm and powder for the little kid who’s keen on dress-up but without all the toxic ingredients.

 

I don’t have a belly button piercing, so I never would have even thought of this, but if you’re pregnant your piercing may get a little uncomfortable. Enter the Pregnancy Piercings™ Pregnancy Belly Button Ring. They are made from a medical grade plastic that is flexible and non-metallic. Great idea.

 

Oh, and if you want to really test the strength of your Tummy Tie and Belly Button Ring, check out my friend, Italo’s, food board on Pinterest. I don’t know how he finds this stuff but I am forever saying, “Holy shit, Nutella filled cupcakes with Nutella frosting?!” Bravo Italo. His other boards are really good too but I love the decadent edibles he pins – I just hope he's ready for my "Why am I fat?" whining.

 

Love, love this blog called Hysterically Ever After. She has some incredible posts about post partum depression that are insightful, witty and honest. I love this one called, A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.. in particular. She's funny and a good writer and I'd like to drink with her.

 

You know what I love? Craft kits for kids because it keeps them busy and I don’t feel guilty about them doing it like watching t.v. You know what I hate? Craft kits that need so much of my help that I am doing the damn craft instead of doing the task I was trying to keep my kids busy for. Toilets don’t clean themselves, people!

That is why I love these Eye Can Art kits. They come with everything you need to do the craft, and I mean everything. Scissors, pencil crayons (the good kind), and pre-folded and cut paper (thank you).

These kits are created by art educators, teach open-ended, authentic art techniques with no stencils or templates, and have won multiple toy awards including Parent's Choice, Tillywig, Education.com, and Oppenheim.

We got the Book in a Box Kit and my kids loved it and, more importantly, I didn’t hear a peep out of them for an hour. Glorious. I'm going to go out on a limb and even say it was even better than Dick in a Box. Bold, I know.

I figure they’d make an excellent older-sibling gift for someone with a newborn.

They also sent me a $5 discount code. Sweet. Just use the code HOLIDAYKITS12 at check out. Offer expires 12/17/12. Limit one discount per order.

 

If you’re looking to be cheered up, check out my new Bad Day Fixer Board on Pinterest. It has quality items like this incredible dog poster and two high-guys dancing around to Bollywood music that is sure to make your spirits soar.

 

This is a perfect example of something I would have thought was absolutely ridiculous before I had kids but I now I think is brilliant. It’s called a Pump Strap and here’s what it’s about:

• Extremely secure and form fitting
• One size fits all. So as your body changes, it changes with you.
• It goes on and off in seconds. Shift your bra and blouse up, wrap the strap snugly, tuck in flanges, and you're pumping.
• Works with any pumping system, including Ameda, Medela and Lansinoh.
• It is easy to take care of, easily washed in the washing machine and durable enough to stand several pregnancies as well as passed down to friend or family for many more years of use.
• It is just as effective but is much less expensive at $25 (other hands-free bras run at  $40).

 

Kati Ann Photography

As you know, I’m a real sucker for sweet little sibling photos. So this shot from Kati Ann Photography just melted my heart. I think the thing I love most about it is that it would be an amazing shot no matter how her son reacted to the baby – unless he kicked over the basket. I guess that would be bad.

Do you need a little something to add to your holiday list? Well, have I got the thing for you. Tieks. They sent me a pair of their ballet flats because their customers kept telling them how amazing they are to wear during pregnancy, and I can see why. You can tell they are really well made and, man, are they comfortable. They’re like the louboutin’s of flats (even though it’s probably not cool to compare one shoe designer to another). They come in every colour imaginable (I got leopard print because I’m bad ass and cutting edge – stop laughing) so I think I may spring for something more neutral like this pink pair next time.

 

Lastly, I found this neat site called Deposit a Gift, where you can let friends and family know what you need most with a customizable cash gift registry.

I find that people like to feel like they are buying something instead of just handing over the cash. Unfortunately, you can’t buy a gift certificate for the baby’s passport – and you may need that way more than jammies –so something like this does a good job of making the gift giver feel like they are doing something more personal than handing over a fifty, and you get to allocate the money where you need it most. Here’s a sample site to give you an idea of how it works.

Hope you like 'em. Giddy up!

Round Up – Issue 1: September 2012

Every so often I come across something that's really cool so I post it on Facebook, Twitter or Pin it, but I thought I would do a monthly round up of the things I thought were neat in one spot.

Here's the first issue of Pregnant Chicken's Round Up. Yeeehaw!

Ava Baby's: An online store that specializes in clothing for newborns and babies born prematurely. She even has clothing for babies as wee as 1lb to wear. My friend had twin boys in the NICU and it was incredible just how little they were and how they were swimming in 0-3 sleepers (especially considering the little hulks they are now).

 

 

Pure Play Kids: These guys sell, design and manufacturer kid-powered, creative toys. Over 90% of their toys are made in the USA (they have a couple of Canadian products too) and the rest are made in Europe to ensure the highest product quality and safety. They had a lot of great stuff I haven't seen anywhere else.

 

Baby DIY: I started a new board on Pinterest called Baby DIY that includes these scratch mittens from Speckled Owl Studio. Some things are ambitious and you have to have talent – like the stuff you knit and the bad ass baby gate – but there's a swaddling blanket and a change pad that I think even I could swing.

 

If you have a toddler and a baby, please take a picture like this from Documenting Delight. It makes my heart melt. Also, if you live in Brisbane, Australia, hire this woman to photograph your life. Clearly she's brillant.

 

OvaOva: When founder Amanda emailed me about her new site saying, "With Ova Ova we're trying to provide women with information about their fertility in a way that is informative, upfront, and most importantly non-cheesy or condescending.", I knew I had to check it out. The site is clean, simple and easy to follow so whether you're trying to get pregnant or trying *not* to get pregnant, it may be worth looking in to.

 

Rekindled Lightboxes: These are lovely night light boxes created from vintage dictionary prints. Deidra, the artist that makes them, sent me one of her Batman & Robin lightboxes after I made such a fuss over them and my son's head nearly exploded. I ended up buying a Spiderman version for my other son to avoid bedtime meltdowns of who got the damn light in their room. It gives off enough light to give their bedrooms a nice glow, but not so much that it feels like your in a 2 am chopper search for a B and E suspect.

 

This has nothing to do with pregnancy, but I'm making one of these signs for my kitchen.