Friday Faves - Week 6

Happy Friday Everyone!  This time I am even more excited about the weekend: it's my long awaited and anticipated Mom's Weekend Out.  12 Mommies in Santa Barbara - how fun it'll be! 

Below is a summary of answers I got to last week's Faves.  This week's Faves are listed at the bottom, I look forward to hearing from you and reading your comments. 

Now, I might have to specify a few things:
* If you have any suggestions or ideas on which you would like people to share their favorite, let me know and I'd be more than happy to include them in one of the next week's Friday Faves.

* If you want the chance to be featured on my blog next week, go ahead and host a Friday Faves post on your own blog.  At the end of the week I will choose the winning Friday Faves post and feature it (and its author) on my blog!  Just follow these easy steps and off you go:

1. Become a follower of my blog.

2. On your blog, write a post, including anywhere from 3-5 'fill-in-the-blanks' that start with "What's your Favorite..." (you come up with your own ideas).

3. Add the Friday Faves button to your post:


<center><a href="http://mformommy.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20Faves"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4847535262_340caf18a7_m.jpg" /></a></center>


4. Link your post up anytime during the week while the linky below is open.  (Make sure to link up the appropriate post, not your blog home page!)
Note: Link up only when you're actually hosting a Friday Faves on your blog, please.  I will delete any spam link-ups.
At the end of the week, I will choose the 'winning' Friday Faves list of questions and feature the winning blog, its questions and their answers in my Friday Faves post.

You don't need to write a follow up post on the feedback you get from people, however, if you'd like to do that, I bet your readers would enjoy it.

So, mama's - let's get the creative juices flowing!!

Here's a run down of the feedback we got after last week's Friday Faves:

1. Favorite ice cream
When I first moved to the US, I was introduced to Ben & Jerry's Bovinity Divinity. (Milk chocolate ice cream with dark and white chocolate fudge cows)  LOVED LOVED LOVED that ice cream.  Unfortunately it got killed.  I don't know why, but I suspect it wasn't performing well enough or meeting the requirements.  It doesn't matter.  It no longer is and I am (still) heart broken.
Joey's favorite is Ben & Jerry's Phish Food.  Yummy and filled with everything yummy under the sun that can be included in ice cream.
TV's fav is anything coffee related, which reminds me, have you guys tried the Haagen Dasz Baileys Irish Cream ice cream?!?!  To die for, so yummy!


2. Favorite teething remedy for infants / toddlers
Medication-wise both Orajel (which is also popular at TV's house) and Tylenol worked well with Kai.  The Tylenol always took about 20 minutes to start working, so those 20 minutes got bridged with the Orajel.  Worked like a charm and always put him right back to sleep.  Ryder is almost dispensing as much H2O as the Niagara Falls, but luckily there are no teeth on the horizon yet (I want to hold on to his gummy smile a bit longer - mommy isn't ready for teeth yet).  The cool thing though: both boys love(d) this wooden rattle that used to belong to my dad.  Kai loved to chew on it and now Ryder is doing everything he can to chew the thing to pieces.  Love the sentiment behind it.Joey made me laugh with her response as she suggested ear plugs.  Good one, I'll remember that when we really start teething in this house.
Traci suggested a cold cloth to chew on.  Thanks for the suggestion.  For Kai it never worked, but with Ryder I hadn't thought of trying that out.  Will do so soon!


3. Favorite kid-friendly curse word
I didn't get much feedback on this one.  Am I really the only one who needs to let it out sometimes?  Really?  Well, around here I do think a lot more than I say, but when I really cannot keep my mouth shut it's usually 'darn, crap or shoot'.  - Don't ask what all goes through my mind sometimes.....:-0


4. Favorite at home spa treatment
Similarly to Traci, my favorite at home spa treatment is a facial.  I start out by cleansing it with my Dermalogica cleansing gel, followed by a scrub.  I have a facial steamer that really opens up the pores and then the clay facial mask from The Body Shop.  Let it dry up for about 10 minutes at which point you cannot move a muscle in your face without the mask cracking all over.  When you clean your face with lukewarm water and then moisturize it, it not only feels great, but it also looks refreshed.  The following morning I always think I look 5 years younger.  Maybe that's wishful thinking, but hey, it works for me!
For both Joey and TV the favorite at home spa treatment is a pedicure.  Ah, the joy of soft feet, callus free, nicely polished toes, pretty and ready to be shown off in sandals.  I hear you on that one girlfriends!!  (It'd be even better if we could get our hubby's to massage the lotion in to get them not only soft, but also relaxed....;-)


5. Favorite book
Oh, how our life changes when we have kids.  For many of us our favorite book is a book that our children enjoy.  I have to admit that I don't read much myself, but...for this weekend I actually bought a book that sounded so fascinating: "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel - a novel about pouring your heart and soul into your cooking and all that this can lead to.  I can't wait to read it on the beach this weekend.

For next week, I would love to hear about your Favorite:

1. ... kid's lunch

2. ... baby proofing item
3. ... exercise music (3 songs)
4. ... stain remover (for the toughest stains)

5. ... clothing brand

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday Faves - Week 5

Happy Friday Everyone!  I am so excited the weekend is here!  I hope everyone is going to have a wonderful few days off!

Below is a summary of answers I got to last week's Faves.  This week's Faves are listed at the bottom, I look forward to hearing from you and reading your comments.  If you have any Faves that you would like to find out more about, post them in your comment and I will certainly make an effort to include them in my weekly posts.

If you want the chance to be featured on my blog next week, go ahead and host a Friday Faves post on your own blog.  At the end of the week I will choose the winning Friday Faves post and feature it (and its author) on my blog!  Just follow these easy steps and off you go:

1. Become a follower of my blog.

2. Write a post, including anywhere from 3-5 'fill-in-the-blanks' that start with "What's your Favorite..." (Similarly as I do in my Friday Faves post).

3. Add the Friday Faves button to your post:


<center><a href="http://mformommy.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20Faves"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4847535262_340caf18a7_m.jpg" /></a></center>


4. Link your post up anytime during the week while the linky below is open.  (Make sure to link up the appropriate post, not your blog home page!)
Note: Do NOT link up below just to 'be seen'.  Last week I actually deleted a few links as they were spam, so only links to blogs who contain a Friday Faves post please!

At the end of the week, I will choose the 'winning' Friday Faves list of questions and feature the winning blog, its questions and their answers in my Friday Faves post.

You don't need to write a follow up post on the feedback you get from people, however, if you'd like to do that, I bet your readers would enjoy it.

So, mama's - let's get the creative juices flowing!!

Here's a run down of the feedback we got after last week's Friday Faves:

1. Favorite family vacation destination
When it comes to vacations, everyone has different needs and things they look for.  Destinations need to be appropriate for the kids, yet also entertaining and enjoyable for the adults.  These days the price of our family vacations plays a big part and might for some of us even be a reason not to go at all.
Aside from the big destinations such as Disney World (Joey mentioned this one, being local), DisneyLand, Universal Studios and other big theme parks, there are often many things to be done in our own area.  How many of you have ever been in the situation that you had family or friends visiting and all of a sudden you found yourself going to a museum or a local place of interest that you had never been to before?  Despite living practically 'next' to it?  I have.  It seems like having guests over is the best way to really get to know your city.
Sometimes it only takes a short drive to get the feeling of 'being away'.  I live in Los Angeles and within 2 hours driving I am in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Remember the movie 'Sideways'?  It was shot there.  Plenty of vineyards and wineries to satisfy my curiosity and wonderful things to do for the kids: a miniature horse farm, ostrich farms, pick-your-own-fruit-and veggies-farms, etc. 
MageeBaby lives in Missouri and her favorite spot is Silver Dollar City in Branson.  It is not too expensive and has neat educational type things like glassblowing demonstrations, etc.  Love ideas like that!
Emily mentions some local beaches near where she grew up.  Beaches are awesome to spend time with family: swimming, building sand castles, looking for shells, learning about fish and when the kids are older about tides.  Picnics come to mind, oh don't get me started!!


2. Favorite tricks to keep your child occupied in the car
We are in between: Ryder is just now accepting the 'car concept' and is okay for shorter distances.  (Unless he's tired in which case he might actually fall asleep.)  Kai enjoys looking at trucks (especially the big ones) and pointing out buses.  Aren't they super-exciting?!?!  I don't think it'll be too long before we will purchase the DVD player for the car, or hopefully (even better) buy a new car that has DVD players in it!!  Oh, what a luxury that would be!!  Joey is on that same wave length as she mentions her hubby's iPhone that has games and all that good stuff on it.  Just be careful those little fingers don't (by accident) delete your apps and phone numbers!!


3. Favorite Cook book
We have Trader Joe's here in LA and I LOVE that store.  It's a shame that they don't always have all the products that are on my grocery list, but if they did, it would be the only grocery store I would shop at.  A while back I was at Barnes and Noble and discovered the Trader Joe's cookbook.  Oh my!!  It's written by Cherie Mercer Twohy, who simply loves TJ's - no neither she, nor the book is affiliated with TJ's.  She's just a fan of the store and decided to write her own cook book: "The I [heart] Trader Joe's Cook Book".  Simple recipes that are quick to prepare and give the idea that you slaved for hours in the kitchen.  Don't let the name fool you: you can get all the recipes from the book in your 'regular' grocery store as well.
Other than that I personally love the Food Network and get a ton of recipes and ideas from there as well.
Joey had a great idea though: she actually wrote her own!!  Well done!  She picked and chose the best recipes from her childhood and put them in a binder.  I do a similar thing where I will print recipes (if they're online or passed on from friends) I like and put them in a binder.  Well, mine are piling up, they're not all in the binder (yet).


4. Favorite Body lotion / Body butter
I would have to say the Body Shop body butters.  Hands down!  Very rich, reasonably priced and they last.  Mind you, I lather that stuff on every night after I shower.  Love it.  It's one of those little ways to treat myself nicely.  They offer fruity scented, flower scented, calming, unscented, butters for normal skin, dry skin, sensitive skin.  You name it they have it.  They often have the buy 1 get 1 half off, or buy 2, get 1 free offers.  Now they have also increased the number of butters that are part of that offer, so I was in heaven when I went shopping this weekend!! Oh, and by the way - no, I am not getting paid or sponsored to say all this, though I think they owe me now!


5. Favorite Kids' Book
We have so many books laying around Kai's room, it's not even funny.  For the longest time the Elmo books were favorite. Then the "I Love You Mommy / Daddy / Grandpa" series, these days it's Goodnight Moon.
"The Velveteen Rabbit" is a fave at Joey's house, while Emily's little one is all about "I Love You Through and Through" and the "Butt Book".  Even she is enjoying that one...;-)

For next week, I would love to hear about your Favorite:

1. ... ice cream

2. ... teething remedy for infants / toddlers
3. ... kid-friendly curse word
4. ... at home spa treatment

5. ... book

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday Faves - Week 2

First of all, thank you for those of you who responded to the Friday Faves initiative that I started last week.  To those who are new, welcome!!  Read along and post a comment in response to the search of this week's faves.

Let me start out by summarizing the feedback I got to last week's questions:

1. Favorite kids' summer snack / treat
The reason why I posted this question was, because I was looking for suggestions.  Last year, Kai's favorite treat was water melon, but this year he doesn't want to have anything to do with it.
It seems like ice-cream / popsicles are the overall favorite. Joey mentions Dora popsicles, while CJ names the Edys'.  Mama Grits mentions Del Monte chillers.  I had never heard of them and need to try them out now.
I ended up ordering popsicle molds, so guess what I'll be doing this weekend.  Oh gosh, I am becoming so domesticated!!

2. Favorite tantrum soother
It's so awesome to see what different people approach meltdowns differently.  At the end it all depends on what works for you, the situation and your child, but here are some ideas:
A change of scenery is the cure for Adriel, while for others it's hugs, kisses, some quiet time (for the child and/or Mom), but CJ's take stood out for me.  She says: "Encourage them that they can get get themselves together. "Take a deep breath and tell me what you need in a big boy/girl voice so I can understand."   If it is a tantrum because they can't get what they want - I remind them that my room is a tantrum/bad attitude free zone.  If they want to cry they need to go into their room."  Obviously this wouldn't work so well with a baby, but I am going to give this a try with our toddler.
Mommycrat mentions her "Lalala song" which she blogged about a few weeks ago.  Check it out by clicking on her name in the previous sentence.

3. Favorite activity when you have 2 hours for yourself
...or should I say "IF you have 2 hours for yourself"?  Activities included blogging (who'd have thought?), reading, mindless TV (oh yeah baby!!), hanging out with a friend - all of which are better with a glass of wine as Mommycrat states, or a cocktail I might add.  Oh, and then there is the shopping....
Personally, I love going for a pedicure, a coffee with a friend, or a massage.  Anything relaxing without having to worry about the kids.

4. Favorite facial scrub
Personally, my favorite scrub is the Skin Prep Scrub from Dermalogica, but that stuff is not cheap.  Especially if you use it several times a week.  So, I have decided to use it once a week when I do my weekly at-home facial.  For the other times I am going to try some things out.
The most intriguing idea came from Crystal who suggested lemon and sugar.CJ mentioned sugar and corn meal and St. Ives Apricot scrub if she buys it.  I actually just bought it and it's nice.  It's cheap and it actually has beads in it that feel like they're doing their job.
TV mentions the Neutrogena Advanced Solutions scrub and says "It's helped my skin more than words can express."  That'll be the next one I try out.
And last but not least, Sweetums5 suggests Borax and water: "Fill bottom of squeeze bottle with 1-inch deep Borax cleaning powder (a natural mineral found under the earth), fill bottle  up with water, shake well and wash face with it morning & night/ just refill bottle with water till Borax is finished / buy Borax in Target, laundry detergent aisle."  Who knew?  I didn't.

5. Favorite staying-in date night
If $ wasn't an issue, I would definitely vote for a nice sushi dinner out and maybe a movie, but hiring a baby sitter on top of that for the evening all of a sudden makes even a simple evening out (not including sushi, but some standard middle-of-the-road dinner) an expensive one.  It seems like staying in might not be so bad after all.Mommycrat mentions something dear to my heart: cooking together.  There is something nice about that.  I love cooking, but it is so much nicer when the hubby is helping out, especially with a glass of something to make it even more fun.  Yeah, and then the challenge: not talking about the baby.  It's sad, but sometimes that is cause for the occasional silence in the conversation....:-0
Movies are an absolute must it seems, and then there are the activities that, according to Joey are not fit for publication.  I guess together with sleep (as CJ rightfully states) that would make for one lucky night!!


For next week, I would love feedback on the next 5 Favorites.  Comment away people, look forward to your responses!!

Your Favorite:
1. ... family car (and why)
2. ... store for kids' clothes
3. ... family dinner
4. ... kid's movie
5. ... way to trim your child's nails