We have a responsibility at hand.  Even doing very little can help a lot during this crisis.  I think many of us have seen images, documented video footages, read the newspaper or an online media site, and have seen the devastation of this one nation.  Do we shut our eyes, turn our heads, or cover our ears? Or do we confront the task at hand and try to put our best foot forward and open our eyes wider, put our heads forward, and lean in closer?  I would have faith that most people would do the latter.  Some may feel that their $5 or a donated shoe may not go a long way, but if we all come together and do something to help, a little will add up to a lot, and help the nation get back up on its feet.

Today, I put my 6 month old in an Ergo and took my 3 year old, to take part in helping out in Haiti’s relief.  We first started out by going to Sports Chalet to donate 10 gently worn/almost new shoes for Souls 4 Souls.  It felt good to know we would be letting 10 individuals, both men and women, and kids have some soles for their feet.  After that we headed to Whole Foods to get some snacks before we went to the post office to drop off baby clothing for orphanages in Haiti.  After we got our snacks and came out, we were approached by a girl that was fundraising for Save the Children.  I ended up sponsoring a classroom for an entire month for $80 which includes 125 children and teacher training.  I wanted to make sure the majority of the money went to the children and I was told that 94% goes directly to the children, and the rest covers fundraising and administrative costs.  After sponsoring a classroom, which I am really excited about, we headed to the post office to send off our boxed baby clothing to Happy Heinys.  They are taking donations of new or good condition used baby clothing, small items, and diapers.  These items will be put in suitcases and missionaries will be taking it to the orphanages on the outskirts of Haiti, which hardly receives assistance, if any at all.

It felt good to make our Saturday, a day filled with service.  Remember, it’s not Haiti’s story, it’s our story!

Today, I drove all the way from the Westside of Los Angeles to the city of Tustin-Irvine, in Orange County.  Why in the world would I drive an hour out to Orange County? Well…to attend a luncheon with fellow mommies and it was hosted by…STOKKE!  I don’t know if you are aware of their products but I sure am because well made, well designed, and standout baby products are like deep, dark, luscious chocolates to me.  When I was invited to go their luncheon it didn’t take too much for me to be there, even though it was a trek to get there with two kids.

I wanted to stop by the Babies “R” Us before we went for the luncheon, to get the full demo, but I got lost, and ended up going their directly.  When I went to the luncheon I was greeted by the wonderful folks at Stokke.  They are pretty wonderful!  I loved that they were so welcoming to not only me, but my children.  They made sure we were comfortable and taken care of.  My 3 year old sat in their Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair, which by the way, is wonderful.  The design on it was steller and the fact that you could use it from baby onto adulthood, you definitely get your money’s worth!  My 6 month old sat in the Stokke Xplory stroller which also can be a highchair (<—how awesome is that!).  The design on it was extraordinary and my daughter sat their ever-so comfortably.  The seat reclines back and you can switch it from forward facing to back facing and vice versa.  If you could ever have an in-person demo like this, take advantage of it because I ended up loving the products.

My baby laying back in the Xplory

During our games of Bingo and Multiple choice game, other mommies got to win Stokke Table Tops.  My daughter was devastated when she didn’t win the game of Bingo.  I taught her a lesson that it’s not about winning and enjoying the experience (you always teach them a lesson in life).  We had a wonderful time with the other mommies and Stokke team. 

The Stokke Event at the Babies “R” Us in the Tustin Market Place off of Jamboree Road will run from today-Sunday from 11am-4pm.  I highly suggest that if you are local to the area, head on down to Babies “R” Us and learn about a great product that is now currently selling in your store.  If you RSVPed before the event started (like my readers) you will receive a $20 gift card.  I decided to use this gift card towards the purchase of reusable diapers for orphans in Haiti!

So we went back to the UCLA Baby Lab.  I didn’t know what to expect this time, but thought it would be the same thing that we did last time.  Hopefully, now that she was a couple weeks older, there would be more involved.  The last time we went in, they told us what they were doing, but as in results, there were none.

We were taken into a room with a darkroom/booth with the monitor screen in it.  The setup was the same as the last time, only this time, we were in a different room.  They adjusted the monitor so that it would detect the baby’s eyes very well and then tested it by playing the muppets (which by the way, my baby has no interest in).   She sat on my lap and they began the testing process.  They flashed images with tools, faces, animals, furniture, etc.  The testing was approximately 15-20min, which was a lot longer than the last time.  Between images, they had this image of an orbital module flash inwards and outwards with a galactic sound, as well as a rattle that went back and forth.  Every time they lost my baby’s attention, they would play this to put her back on track.

After the testing was over, the research assistant asked if I would like to watch the playback of what my baby was looking at.  When she played back the test, she explained that my baby had really great focus and was looking at faces of people.  Most babies her age cannot do this well, but she did (I admit that I did have a proud momma moment).  It showed that she was going to have great social skills.  The study was tuning into social skills between boys and girls at that age.  Boys look mostly at tools, while girls tend to look at social images, such as faces.  I found that to be fascinating at such a young age.

I think if you get the opportunity to be involved in their researches, you should definitely consider it.  Also, I was happy to see on their wall of pictures (which are all their babies that have participated in their studies) that some new celebrity mommies have brought their babies in for research.

I came across the Cybex Callisto Stroller when I was searching for my second stroller, which would be my everyday go-to home stoller. With my first daughter, that happened to be my Maclaren.  I always like to have one stroller for my everyday use while running errands with my car and one for my home, that I use while running errands around my neighborhood or simply strolling.

At first glance it was very easy on the eyes. A stroller that was sleek and sexy.  I have to compare buying strollers to buying a purse. Whereas my husband would compare it to buying a car.  For me, like buying a purse, it has to look nice, last long (durable), and be able to hold everything nicely and in place.  I see a stroller as a long term purchase, as I will be seeing myself using it at least for 2-3 years.

There are so many qualities that I look for in a stroller that fits my needs on a daily basis.  First, the design on the stroller is very important to me.  The look of the stroller, in many ways, will represent my style sense.  Second, the durability is of maximum importance.  If it looks like it will break in half after a month of use, I will pass.  I am not looking for something that will become a high risk situation that requires a trip to the ER.  Third, manueverability, how easy is it to handle going down a neighborhood sidewalk to a more steeper hill, and does it make smooth turns.  Fourth, ease of use, closing/opening of the stroller, the brakes, and setting the stroller up.  Fifth, storagibility, it needs to be able to hold my nursing cover, baby’s jacket, a diaper clutch, and possibly a little bit of grocery when I walk over to my local Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.  Sixth, stroller’s mass, I don’t need anything that weighs over 25lbs that will strike up my sciatica at a moment’s notice.  Seventh, all the extras, things that I didn’t think of or things that I feel are added bonuses.

When I received the Cybex Callisto and took it out of the box, it was almost too simple to setup.  I literally just snapped in the wheels and I had a working stroller.  I then did a visual inspection of the stroller and loved the sleek design and how secure and durable the stroller felt.  The stroller was also on the light side as I didn’t have to break my back to carry it up the stairs.  

The day I received the stroller, it was raining outside (wow!), which was surprising because it hardly rains in Los Angeles.  I busted out the rain shield cover which came with the stroller.  I had to take it on an immediate test-run.  Attaching the rain shield was almost too simple, I had to double check to make sure I didn’t miss anything. It was as easy as placing it on top of the stroller hood and securing it with velcros.  When we placed the baby inside the stroller, the shoulder straps were very secure and padded (central one-pull harness system), and the seats were padded comfort.  It took 2 seconds, okay, maybe 3 to recline the seat to fit my baby’s comfort (5 reclining positions, one hand operation).  Another added feature was the 3-position canopy with retractable visor (you can’t get enough protection from the sun).

For the test drive, we took my baby and stroller out in the rain.  The first thing I noticed when I started to push the stroller was how smoothly the aluminum wheels (extremely soft comfort suspension) moved up and down our hilly street.  Also, the handles were adjustable, so I was able to pull it up, and custom tailor it to my height.  The turns around the corner were silky smooth and were completely free of any sudden jerking movements.  Another plus was that I didn’t have to take a diaper bag with me.  I put my wallet and keys in the storage pocket right behind the stroller and put the diapers, nursing cover, baby’s jacket, and blanket in the storage bin below.  Everything fit perfectly and had just the right amount of space for my local run to the stores.  After we came back home, strolling in the rain for about an hour, the baby was completely dry and rain-free. 

We have been using the stroller on and off for about a month, and it never fails to impress me.  I have been stopped in the streets by other mothers who ask me where I got the stroller and the common consensus was that they loved the design on it.  It’s too bad I have to return it after my test drive.   I would definitely recommend this to parents who want a reliable stroller that has almost everything you need with the style to match.  My only suggestion that would make this stroller even better, is adding a drink holder.  I always need something to drink and because I didn’t have that attachment, I was holding onto the water bottle while I was strolling.

UPDATE: As I posted this review, on Twitter (@cybexbaby) there was a tweet about the new Cybex Cupholders.  So now you have one complete stroller!

(Disclosure: A test stroller was sent to me for review purposes. This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

So the question is, “When should we hand over a mobile phone to our child?”  For various reasons, parents get mobile phones for their children.  Some use it to have instant connection to their children, especially for school pick-ups, and some parents have it for emergencies.  While it brings a variety of conveniences, there’s also a downside to it, just like the internet.  

In a recent statistic, it showed that more than 35% of U.S. children ages 10-11 have mobile phones.  My mouth dropped open because when I was that age, having a walkman was the coolest thing.  Of course, times change and having a mobile phone is one of those modern conveniences.  But as parents, at what age do we give our child a mobile phone?  I wanted to do a poll myself, so please be honest with your choices. Thank you.

At what age should a child have their own mobile phone?

Not really. However, recently I was able to volunteer my baby’s services to research.  A couple days after I came home from delivering my baby, I received a card from UCLA’s Baby Lab.  Just as the name says, they do research on babies.  I am always fascinated by research and how it could also help our society learn a lot of things that was never deeply looked into.  So of course, even as I laid in bed trying to recover from my massive blood loss, I filled out the form and mailed it in.  Probably within a couple months I received a call, but lost the number and never called them back.  Lo and behold, I got another phone call last week for a research, and took my daughter in the following day for a study.

I was greeted by a lab assistant at the parking entrance, who also escorted me to the Baby Lab.  I walked into a room that had a waiting area with all sorts of toys and a wall that was filled with pictures of Baby Lab participants. After filling out the paperwork, I was then escorted to a “dark room” where I had to sit in a chair with the baby propped on my lap.  They had a big screen in front of us and set it up so that the eye tracking device detected her eyes.  After the setup, they played something for her to watch, and tracked her eye movements.  It was pretty cool to watch.

The whole viewing process was only a couple minutes and after, I was told what they were studying.  After, we headed back to the waiting room where we could choose from a variety of gifts for participating.  I chose a cute UCLA Baby Lab shirt.  Then we took a picture to be part of the Wall.:-)  I am glad that my baby and I had that experience and that we donated a little something something to science and research.  If they call, I will go in again!

My daughter has been wearing the Gro Baby Diaper Shells and Cloths for a couple of months.  I LOVE it!  I have been raving about these diapers since I’ve started using them.  A lot of people I know have made recent purchases because I have been dancing and singing about these diapers.   The Gro Baby Diapering system makes cloth diapering such an easy experience.  For those that are intimidated by cloth diapering, no need to anymore, with this system.

I love that the shell is waterproof with easy hook tabs to adjust to your baby’s size, so no more 2 size system for your baby.  The shell grows with your baby!  The organic cotton 6 layer soaker pads are amazing because they snap in and they are elasticized, so they mold to your baby’s bum.  I purchased about 10 shells and 20 soaker pads.  I have never had an issue with shortage, as I do laundry almost everyday and I leave them to air dry. Prices Range: Check Site

Another super innovative product they developed was the Bio Soaker Pads.  It’s pretty much an on-the-go insert for when you are out and about and do not want to hassle with cloth diapers.   They have great absorbancy (Comes in 2 Sizes).  I am IN LOVE with this product!  I have a receipt to prove how much I am in love with it.  Recently they had a buy 1 get 1 free promotion on their site and I purchased 8 boxes and got 8 boxes free, for a total of 16 boxes.  I don’t feel guilty about buying these soaker pads because they are bio-degradable and they are gentle on the earth. Price: $19.99

They recently won the PTPA Media Stamp of Approval and I knew exactly why.  I LOVE my Gro Baby diapering system and I will continue to dance and sing about it!

(Disclosure:This review is based solely on my personal opinion and experience and results may vary person to person.)

Yesterday, I woke up and as usual, checked my emails as part of my daily morning routine.  One email I wanted to share with you was from Happy Heinys.  With the recent earthquake in Haiti, and all the help that is needed, I thought we could all help out in the relief efforts.  I know some people are skeptical when it comes to donations because sometimes you wonder if your donations are going directly to those that are affected.  Also, it doesn’t help that there are Haiti relief scams going around the web (very unfortunate).  Please read the email from Happy Heinys below and see how you can help.

We have been very saddened to hear that due to the recent earthquakes in Haiti in the Port Au Prince area, a couple of the orphanages we have worked closely with over the last fews years have been completely devastated.