First Year Favourites - Buggy Bubble Infant Car Seat Cover

Even thought baby #2 isn't due for 6 months, I cannot stop thinking about what I am going to need for this little one. H was born in February (winter) and this one is due in July (summer) so there are a few different things that I am going to need. The one thing I know that I cannot use is my Easy Baby Car seat Cover - that I just loved. It was great for winter, but would be WAY TOO hot for a summer baby. So, tonight I did some hunting online (a favourite past time of mine) to see what I could find. After much searching I came across a very cool product that I am definitely going to be ordering sometime in the near future: Buggy Bubble.

The Buggy Bubble:
-is an all in one weather protection cover
-it fits most infant car seat carriers
-it has a framed enclosure that gives a lot of space for your little one
-it is water resistant and UPF 50+
-it is made out of mesh and therefore has good air circulation
-and more

It would be great for those summer months as it would protect the baby from sun, wind, bugs, etc., and it is also very breathable so I wouldn't be worrying about him/her overheating in it.

You can check out this product on their website at www.buggybubble.com and it is available on there for $29.99 free shipping.

If you have any other great First Year Favourites, please send them my way!

Favourite Books - Alphabet, Heads and Tails by Matthew Van Fleet

Hudson's all time favourite books at the moment are these animal books by Matthew Van Fleet. They have lift the flap pages, moving pages, touch and feel pages and more. These are his go to books and they are so well loved that some parts have actually broken off and we have had to glue them back. They are great for animal recognition as well as colours, textures, etc.

I purchased my first two from Costco, Alphabet and Heads, but for Christmas I picked him up a third, Tails, from Chapters.

If you are looking for a fun animal series, definitely check these ones out! Right now they are 24% off if your purchase them online from Chapters.

Other Favourites - Costco Photo

I have been a Walmart Photo Centre girl for years. I get all of my photos printed there, as well as my yearly calendars and Christmas cards. This year, I decided to try something different and go with Costco.

I am SUPER happy with the results. My cards look great and they were even cheaper than Walmart (Walmart was $24 for 40, while Costco was $19 for 50). The only thing I was upset with was the fact that I had a spelling mistake and put three rs in Merry instead of 2 (that's what you get for doing them on a Sunday night, at 10pm, in a hurry).

I am still waiting to check out my calendars, but so far I feel like I am converting! :)

Christmas Favourite - Elf On The Shelf

Chistine shares a new Christmas favourite of hers, The Elf On The Shelf". It is a book and a figurine in one with a really neat concept.

"The story tells about how Santa sent the Elf to be with the family in the time before Christmas so that the elf can report back to Santa each night on the behaviour of the children in the house. Every night when the family is sleeping, the elf returns to the North Pole to update Santa and the Naughty or Nice status in the household. So, every morning, the elf is in a new place in the house - my son loves running around the house looking for 'Eddie' the elf every morning - once he finds him he says "no touch". The 'no touching rule' is set out in the book because if the children touch the elf, he will lose his magic and won't be able to return to the North Pole. It ends up working to help curb naughty behaviour too - because you can always pull out the "Be good, the elf is watching".
I just went to the website and it is interactive with all kinds of fun things to explore at the North Pole - there is a workshop, Mrs. Claus' kitchen, and a registry so you can officially register your Elf's name (there's a spot in the book to do that too)."

Thanks Christine, what a cute idea. I have been trying to find one here in Barrie and so far no luck. Chapters can order one in for me, but they don't have any in stock. Christine bought hers from Take A Hike in Thunder Bay. You can also purchase them online from their website at www.elfontheshelf.com

Favourite Tips - Humidifier Season

Christine shares this helpful reminder:

"...since many of us are pulling out our humidifiers in the drier weather, it is a good idea to give them a good cleaning. I just cleaned mine and needless to say, I'm going to purchase a new one - it was so gross; I couldn't even get all the stuff out - blech!"

I hear ya Chris! I try to wipe Hs out (if you can even call it that) after I use it, but it is also looking pretty gross. I wish there was something you could "run through it" to help clean them out. They also have so many hard to reach grooves that make it basically impossible to get into - hopeless! It is especially disappointing if you are like me and went out and purchased a cute one that was a bit more money :)

Thanks for the great reminder!

Favourite Website - Shutterfly

Andrea shares one of her favourite websites:

"I am obsessed with a website called Shutterfly. It is a photography website that allows you to do many things with your photographs. I have made photobooks, calendars and story books with my pics. The photobooks allow you to be very creative with your pics, sort of like scrapbooking online! I have made 4 books for J already and I know these books will be something he will love to look at forever. There are many options for covers and sizes of books. I chose the leather bound books and they are very nice. For Christmas I created a family calendar and a desk calendar for my husband, all full of pics of J. One of the fun features of the family calendar is it allows you to download pics of family members and friends and print them on the calendar date of their birthday. Great for kids who can't read yet. For Christmas this year, I created two storybooks for my 3 year old nephews. One is a Diego Adventure and the other is a Sesame Street Adventure. In these books your child's name and pictures are part of the book. Again, a great gift that kids will enjoy for a long time. I find that this website is very easy to use and they always have sales. Unfortunately the shipping sales only apply to the United States but the other sales apply to all. Check it out! It's a fun website."

Thanks Andrea, I have had NO time for scrapbooking, but perhaps this is another option. Will definitely check it out!