The Guilty Parent

I’m geek by accident.

No it’s true, techy things did not always light my fire and I usually saved anything harder than turning on the computer to my dad.

So to suggest that I’m geeky or even a “tech savvy” mom makes me laugh a little.

Alright… it makes me laugh out loud till I cry.

But I love phones. I’ve been a fan of the telephone since I was three years old and I have the picture to prove it! (more…)

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Since I missed the Type-A Mom conference, my brain is still stuck in BlogHer 09 mode, which is fine by me but I think the family is a little sick of hearing about it.

So I’m going to spread the love to you!

Just a portion of the sea of women bloggers who are connected, smart, & tech savvy

Thanks to MothersClick, who helped sponsor my trip to BlogHer, I was able to meet and talk with a number of different people, women, bloggers, and companies. As someone who LOVES to talk… this was like dying and going to Conversation Heaven. It’s also a bit like dying and going to Geek Heaven (I’ve never seen so many BlackBerries, iPhones, PC laptops and Macs all in one place) but that’s a post for another day!

As I was saying, I conversed… A LOT. You would think my jaw was hurting from it all but not me! I’m made of tough stock! Even almost three months after the conference, I’m still making connections with brands and people that I look forward to working more with in the future. Unfortunately it can be difficult to remember and keep track of every company so I’ve compiled a list (I may need to come back and do a second post if I leave some brands out) of the companies I enjoyed talking to and learning more about.

Scotch Brite – They have a new line of Greener Clean products that I am completely Ga-Ga over! It might help that I’ve almost always used the Scotch Brite brands in my home for cleaning so seeing their Eco-Friendly products was very refreshing. One of the swag bags had a number of Scotch Brite Greener Clean products in it and I’ve tried out every one of the products. Of the Greener Clean items I received, my favorites are:

• Greener Clean Natural Bamboo Cleaning Cloth
• Greener Clean Soap Loaded Scrubbers
• Greener Clean Biodegradable Absorbant Sponge
• Greener Clean Biodegradable Expanding Soft Sponge (these remind me of those sponge toy capsules that you buy for the kids that “grow” when you get them wet. It was fun to just run them under water and watch them expand in my hand!)

Suave Professionals – These gals had a booth dedicated to making our hair look better at BlogHer. They were styling, crimping, straightening and curling every day! I stopped by the booth because I use Suave at home for myself and the kids (I prefer the Suave Radiant Brunette Shampoo & Conditioner) becuase they work just as well as other, pricier brands. I’ll be honest, I have a curl/frizz issue. If you saw me at BlogHer and I was in the exhibitors area, my hair was UP simply because I didn’t want to expose everyone to the unruliness of my hair. I stopped by simply to find out if they had anything… ANYTHING that would help me (humidity and curly hair ARE NOT FRIENDS). The wonderful girls introduced me to the Suave Professionals Sleek Anti-Frizz Cream.BANG BABY! I could use it whether I was straightening it out or letting the lovely curls show. The Anti-Frizz Cream is now a staple in the Guilty Parent household.

Gerber – The pioneers of baby and toddler nutrition were kind enough to have samples of some of their preschool food lines available. I found out during my discussion with them that since they’ve seen so much success with the Gerber Graduates lines of foods, that they’ve been moving into the preschool space, which is a smart move in my opinion since this is the age when nutritious meals and snacks are going to be on every mom’s mind as their little ones head off to preschool programs that require kids to have nutritious and healthy meals. I took home some Gerber Graduates Fruit Twists and Chewy Granola Bars for Peanut to try since he was a huge fan of the fruit puffs as a toddler. I was not at all surprised that he LOVED these healthy snacks.

Dove – I refuse to admit that I sweat… but since we’re talking about it, I got the chance to try the Dove Clinical Protection Visibly Smooth Deodorant. This might be too personal for some of ya’ll so feel free to read past this… Can I just say that I love how it smells? You know how some people will do a “sniff test” to see how fresh or not fresh they are? OK, well I do the sniff test simply to smell the Dove Clinical Protection Deodorant Wild Rose scent. It’s just girly enough for me and not overpowering. I typically prefer deodorant that smells like baby powder(chalk it up to too many years changing diapers) so the Wild Rose scent is a nice change and I actually stay dry. This might sound like a commercial (I assure you no one is paying me to say this) but I HATE SWEATING, even just a little and the Clinical Protection really keeps me dry through the day.

Bounce Dryer Bar – Yes, you’ve probably seen the ads here at The Guilty Parent promoting the Bounce Dryer Bar but even before I placed the ads, I was psyched to try out this nifty little dryer tool. I think everyone at BlogHer got a sample of the Bounce Dryer Bars, but I may be the most tickled person to see this kind of innovative answer to the dryer sheet. I have a love-hate relationship with dryer sheets mostly because I’m not the only one doing laundry anymore. Yes. I am the mean mom who makes the kids fold clothes. I swear I nearly kissed the man at the Bounce Booth at BlogHer when I saw the dryer bars. I no longer have wayward dryer sheets hanging out in my clothes or the couch where the kids fold the laundry and forget to the throw the dryer sheets away after they’ve finished folding a basket. I could go on here but you get the picture.

As I continue to wear out other samples and products that I received at BlogHer 2009, I’ll update as needed.

BlogHer was an amazing, fun, and truly exhilerating trip that couldn’t have happened without the help of MothersClick as my sponsor and for that, I owe them a huge thank you. I’ve brought back some wonderful information that I’ll continue to share with the MothersClick community as well as my readers here in the coming months. The one regret is not taking MORE pictures.

If you went to BlogHer, what were some of your favorite finds?

Feel free to leave a comment or links to any posts you’ve written about some of the great things you’ve discovered. I’d love to hear about them (and maybe compare notes!)

Four kids. One work at home mom. House full of toys, clothes, dust, mess, dishes; you name it, my house is consumed by it. Any little bit of help I can get, I take it. 80 percent of it isn’t even MY mess (and by my mess I mean clothes, toys, dishes). But I find myself walking around every night finding things I didn’t even know had been gotten out or left laying about.

The kids all have responsibilities to help around the house but getting them to follow through on all of that can be frustrating and some days, completely hopeless. I hate yelling, begging, and threatening them to do the things on their list because it takes time away from what I have to do that day. The sooner I get my work done, the sooner I have time for them and my own cleaning and straightening duties.

The people at Deck of Chores were reaching out to bloggers last month looking for moms who might want to try their product. I, being at my wits end and looking for new ideas to get the kids motivated, responded to their call and received a deck for our family to try out.

I was really excited to receive the deck of chores cards. They are colorful and each one has a picture of the chore or task on the front side. They come similar to traditional card decks in that there is a set of spades, clubs, diamonds and hearts and come in a durable container. The deck also comes with game suggestions in case you’re having trouble finding a way to play with them. They are larger than traditional playing cards which makes them great for small hands. The cards currently retail for $14.99

As a mom, I loved the concept. It’s different, it goes beyond the “chore chart” and it’s something I’ve never seen before. I certainly wouldn’t have thought of it.

Unfortunately, my kids didn’t see it as “fun” as I did. I dare say that they refused to participate. We played one of the games and I explained how the game would work. The last five cards they had left at the end of the game, would be their chores for the week and the first person to get rid of all their cards would be taken out for ice cream. The 13 year old got up and walked away. The 8 year old got upset because he already had a list and thought I was piling more on him, the 9 year old asked if she had to do them in addition to her regular chores. Even after explaining that these cards WERE their regular chores, just in a different form, they still balked at the idea. I even explained that they could trade cards. Granted two of the cards didn’t apply to us (clean out the garage and wash the car – I don’t allow them with sponges, water, and a driveway full of rocks near my car), they still were not fond of the idea. I won’t go into specifics but the 13 year old had the biggest and most vocal opinion of the cards and thus set the tone for the entire group.

Feeling defeated, I put the cards away. After careful thought, I realized that this wasn’t a fit for my kids. They know what’s expected of them and they prefer to get their direction from me or their dad; not playing cards.

While I still think, as a mom, it’s a great idea, I realize that perhaps if it’s introduced to a younger crowd (my three year old liked the cards but didn’t grasp the concept since everything he does is “helping” and has been that way for quite a while now), it might work better. I was very excited to get them and try them out but simply because I like a product doesn’t mean my family (for whom the product is designed), will agree with me.

It would be great to see these as something for a classroom or daycare (the cards are designed for home) since teachers are constantly shifting gears and moving from one task to another and clean up is an ongoing task.

As much as my kids didn’t go for them, I still think that the concept is innovative and refreshing. If you are introducing the concept of chores to your kids, I do think this would be a fun way to do it. Unfortunately my kids are older and didn’t appreciate my idea of doing things differently. The cards did however make for a good talking point on why I was trying them out. They now understand how frustrated I am and just how little they are really required to do.

Thank you to the people at Deck of Chores who provided the product.

I think my children are part fish. They love the water and can’t wait for Summer to arrive. Of course, living in Ohio, it seems that summer comes later and later every year. So when the weather finally warms up enough to jump in the pool, my kids are lined up and ready. Even the littlest one.

That’s part of why I am loving being a part of Momfluence and their Summer Gift Guide so much. I get the opportunity to bring you some awesome items that my family and my kids enjoy.

I was recently offered the chance to check out Swim Ways Fishbites Soft Swimmies courtesy of Momfluence and Swim Ways. Since we spend a lot of time at grandpa’s house swimming, the swimmies are perfect for my littlest fish who can’t stay out of the pool but can’t reach the bottom yet.

The first thing about the soft swimmies that struck me as something that I’ll want to use with the kids in the pool is the soft nylon fabric that covers the swimmies. They won’t stick to wet skin and they also don’t scratch Peanut like some swim wings do.

The colorful and fun design of the fishbites make them cool for even my toughest guy to wear. While Shorty can touch the bottom of my dad’s pool, he may not get so lucky when we go to the Lake or other friends’ houses.  I also like that they come in their own carrying case, so whether I leave them at my dad’s or take them along to the Lake, I know we aren’t going to lose them or get them mixed up with other people’s beach toys. (A friend of mine who recently spent some time with her daughters in Myrtle Beach commented on how she saw the Soft Swimmies all over the beach in South Carolina).

copyright: Nichole Smith

The Swim Ways swim products come in steps so that whether you have an infant or a child who is more confident, you can find products to assist them and get them used to being in the water is a safe and fun way. While the soft swimmies will work for either of my youngest boys (the fishbites are a step 4), I’m considering purchasing a swim vest for Peanut for times when he feels he needs added protection. It doesn’t happen often, usually he just likes to jump in and go but when he’s not feeling so confident, a vest and some help from me, might be what he needs.

I know one thing is for sure, I can’t see us doing any swimming this year without the fishbites tucked in with our swim gear. Now if only Ohio would warm up a little more so we aren’t swimming in frozen waters. The kids don’t seem to mind but this mamma likes her water above 70 degrees!

*a special thank you to Swim Ways and Momfluence, who helped make this review possible.

Last week, my children and I received Soy Pudding from ZenSoy. I was very interested in trying this pudding because I have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and sometimes have problems with milk products. Plus, we love pudding here so I figured it would be great to try! I’ve also used Soy Milk before, and love it.

Photo Courtesy of ZenSoy.com

We were sent four varieties: Banana, Chocolate, Vanilla, and Chocolate/Vanilla Swirl. I immediately opened the Chocolate (of course!) and it met my expectations:  Sweet, creamy, and a great flavor! I’ve since tried all of the other versions and loved them all!

My kids, on the other hand, are PICKY eaters! (And I don’t know where in the world they got THAT from! wink!) They liked the pudding, but not as much as the milk-based pudding. They won’t touch the soy milk when I bring it home, which of course works for me, so they haven’t gotten used to the taste of soy. But, they also don’t know the benefits of soy and why they should be eating it! Someday soon, I will clue them that soy-based foods provide isoflavones that help lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease and a variety of cancers, and are shown to improve breast and prostrate health.

That’s just another reason I’m glad that I was tuned in to ZenSoy and their products. Their products are Certified Organic, Kosher, Parve, and Vegan. Another great thing about the company? Learn more here about how they help the pandas!

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