Strider Balance Bike

For James's second birthday, we bought him a bright green Strider balance bike.  He had been so upset at Christmas because his cousin (who was five at the time) got a new bike, and James had thrown the biggest fit about it because he wanted one.  My husband and I decided to look into bikes for his birthday.  Well...James is on the smaller size, and none of the bikes would really work well for him, and after all the research, we decided to settle on a balance bike.  We decided on a Strider brand because it was the best fit for our small boy.  Supposedly a child can go straight from a balance bike to a regular bike without needing the training wheels since they already have the balance portion down.

James was so excited to get a bike on his birthday.  He walked it around all over the place.  For the longest time, James would just walk the bike around without even sitting on the seat.  Then he slowly started to sit down on the seat and walk around.  Once he realized he went faster sitting down, he began to regularly sit down on the seat while riding it.  Most recently, James has started to pull his feet up and ride the bike for short bursts.  He actually started that awhile ago, but not until recently has he been more consistent and purposeful in this attempt.

James is so proud of himself, and I am amazed at how well he does on the balance bike.  This morning there were times I had to start jogging to catch up with him because he has gotten so fast!

I highly recommend a balance bike to other parents.  It has been amazing!

I love my food processor!

Last year for my birthday, my mom gifted me with a food processor because I had mentioned in the past how I would love to have one.  Well...I love my food processor!  I doubt it is top of the line or anything like that, but it sure does make life easier for me.  It is a Hamilton Beach food processor with an on, off and pulse button option.  I love how the processor can hold a decent amount of food inside it. 

Before I had a food processor, I would throw graham crackers into a freezer bag and make crumbs using a rolling pin.  Although that worked out alright...it was a lot of work, and I usually couldn't get the finest of crumbs for my cheesecake crust or other baked yummies.

Lately I have been using the food processor to help with my homemade baby food, and boy, does it make life easy in that department as well!  This morning I cooked some butternut squash and then pureed it in the processor, placed it in the ice cube trays, froze it and then emptied the butternut squash ice cubes into a freezer bag marked with today's date.  I am interested to see what Sam thinks of the butternut squash tomorrow morning.  So far the rice cereal and avocado have been hits.  Sam was not a fan of peas...I think they are perhaps too bitter...Sam would make a displeased face and then sort of shiver.  After a couple bites, he would shut his mouth and refuse to open it anymore.  I did find if I mixed the peas with some rice cereal Sam had no problems eating it and even seemed to enjoy it.  I couldn't imagine making all this baby food without my food processor!

Baby Backpacks

My husband and I have always loved to go hiking and backpacking, and even with our children, we want to continue these pursuits.  Hiking is the easy one to plan and implement.  It gets a lot trickier when planning a backpacking trip.  Things are so much more complicated figuring out the need to pack out all the dirty, smelly diapers and make sure there is enough water and formula for all necessary bottles (if only I could breastfeed...that would make feedings much more simple).

Anyway...on to the point...when James was an infant we purchased a Sherpani backpack carrier because it has more cargo space and can hold up to 70 lbs. (weight of child and gear).  We figured we would go backpacking a lot.  Let's just say...we have taken James on one backpacking trip before Sam came into our lives.  This isn't to say we didn't use the backpack carrier...it was used a lot for day hikes and snowshoe adventures, but for the purpose we purchased it, it was used one time.

With Sam, I had been carrying him around in the Baby Bjorn the first hike we went on, but then we decided we would get him a backpack carrier as well since he is gaining weight well and puts some strain on my shoulder for long time periods in the Bjorn...not to mention he isn't a huge fan of the Bjorn anymore either.  Well...we went with a more expensive backpack carrier this time around looking at the comfort factor over backpacking ability because with two that becomes even more impossible than it was before.  We settled on the Deuter Kid Comfort III.  Not only is Sam more comfortable now, but the Deuter is an amazingly comfortable backpack.  We have used it a total of two times, but to be fair, we just bought the Deuter two weeks ago.

My husband is already considering loading our toddler up into the Deuter to see how he does in it and see if there is a big difference in comfort for him (my husband).   If so, he is tempted to get a second one for James as well.  I did carry James in the Sherpani for our backpack trip, and I can attest that the Deuter is more comfortable, but there is also a sizable weight difference between my infant and toddler.

Sherpani Rhumba Carrier
Pros:
Can carry up to 70 lbs. (including child and gear)
Foot stirrups for child (these are described as an amazing thing, and I know people whose children love to be able to shift their weight...however, our toddler hates having his feet stuck in the stirrups. He would much rather bring his feet up and rest them on the metal frame)
Comes with shade cover and rain enclosure
Storage space for supplies
Less expensive

Con:
Nowhere for child to rest head (we always have to bundle up a sweatshirt for our toddler to sleep comfortably...he will actually ask for a pillow when he is ready to try to sleep)
More straps to fasten

Deuter Kid Comfort III
Pros:
Comfortable padding on the back and should straps for the adult carrying the backpack
Soft, molded pillow for the infant to rest their head (removable for washing)
Storage space for diapers and all other necessary items.
Straps are incorporated for strapping baby in
Comes with shade enclosure
Small mirror velcroed in side pocket to allow you to view your child behind you
Can hold a hydration system

Con:
More expensive (However, with how often we go out hiking and snowshoeing it will pay for itself)

I am sure there are other factors as well.  These are just some of the ones I have noticed personally in the short time we have owned the Deuter.