Reviews by GMRsMom

GMRsMom says "Baby loves this!" about Soothe and Glow Seahorse

GMRsMom — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:40:08 GMT

A friend got the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse for our new baby when she was born. She's now a little over three months and still loves it. We keep it in her crib and play it each time she goes to sleep. You press the tummy and it lights up and plays classical music. Press the tummy again before it reaches the end of the music cycle and it'll shut off again. The light gives off a soft glow - enough to see by, but not so bright as to wake baby up. There are two volume settings with the off switch in the battery compartment. The seahorse is soft and cuddly, and even the tummy where the light is is soft and flexible so you don't have to worry about baby getting smacked by hard plastic. It's a bit heavier than a regular stuffed animal due to the speaker and battery compartment, but not too bad.

The downside is that there's no continuous play option, so the music and light turn off after a few minutes. The playing time is only a few minutes, so you need...

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GMRsMom says "Love this stroller for my two kids!" about Graco Quattro Tour Duo Stroller

GMRsMom — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:45:00 GMT

As our son would only be just over two when we found out we were expecting our second child, we went on the hunt for a good double stroller. After test-driving a few in the store, we decided on the Graco Quattro Tour Duo.

The pros: It's extremely easy is to maneuver, even with two kids and a bunch of stuff in it! I like the handle design - you can hold it in a close grip for just pushing or a wide grip for easy steering and turns. There's plenty of storage space in the baskets underneath for diaper bags or shopping. The back of the main basket drops down for easy loading and unloading. The front seat holds a child up to 50 pounds, and the back holds a child up to 40 pounds. The rear seat reclines fully so a child can lay down in it. You have the option for the front of a bar for snapping on a car-seat or two individual cup-holders. Both seats have a 5-point harness. It also folds easily and surprisingly compact for a double stroller.

The cons. The Quattro Tour Duo...

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GMRsMom says "Good buys for Baby and Toddlers" about Old Navy Infants and Toddlers Clothing

GMRsMom — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 01:13:17 GMT

I didn't discover Old Navy until we got a bunch of hand-me-down clothes for my son from a cousin. In the lot were a bunch of Old Navy clothes. My son's a typical 2-year old and is very hard on his clothes, but the Old Navy stuff held up well to his playing and washing. I started shopping there as he started needing new clothes and found plenty of good deals. The prices are less than a lot of the other children's clothing stores in the area. If you hit the sales, you can make out very well.

I have found that some items do tend to run a little on the smaller side. The boys tee shirts seem to run a bit short. But I just buy them a size larger for my son and problem solved. Some of the two-piece pajama sets have tight cuffs at the wrists and ankles, so I tend to avoid those. But otherwise, everything else has been okay.

Overall, I'm happy with Old Navy's clothes for my kids and would recommend them to anyone.

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GMRsMom says "Great for Occasional or On-the-Go Pumping" about Medela Harmony Breast Pump

GMRsMom — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:54:53 GMT

I love the Medela Harmony Breast Pump. It's small enough to toss into the diaper bag for those times when your going to be out all day or travelling and don't want to bring a bulkier electric or battery-operated pump along. I can get the same amount in the same time with it as with my electric pump. It's not at all uncomfortable and my hand doesn't get tired like I'd have expected it to.

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GMRsMom says "A must-have for all new parents" about Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe Swaddle Blanket

GMRsMom — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 02:14:24 GMT

I absolutely love the Swaddle Me blanket. Our three-week old needs to be swaddled to sleep. Every time I swaddle her with a regular blanket, it comes undone. After worrying about her getting tangled in the regular blankets, I finally decided to give the Swaddle Me blanket a shot. And am I ever glad I did! The Velcro closures keep it snug and secure around baby and it eliminates worries about coming undone or getting pushed up around the face. The bottom "sack" part can be unfastened for diaper changes without unswaddling baby's arms and torso.

It comes in two weights - a light-weight cotton and a warmer micro-fleece. There are also a lot of colors and patterns to choose from.

Definitely a must-have for any parents with a baby that wants to be swaddled!
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GMRsMom says "Great Easy-to-Use Digital Camera that Won't Break the Bank" about Kodak EasyShare C913 Digital Camera

GMRsMom — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:22:22 GMT

I got my Kodak EasyShare C913 just a few weeks ago and I'm already loving it! It's exactly what I wanted - a small, simple, good quality digital camera that didn't cost a fortune. I got it for under $100 on sale. It's 9.2 mega pixels. The camera comes with the USB cable and software for downloading pictures to your computer. The menus are easy to navigate and it doesn't have a million extra features that I'll never use. It can take video, also. With a 4GB memory card (not included with camera), it can store about 2200 pictures.

There are a couple different picture modes - auto for general picture taking; scene for special condition photos; blur reduction to minimize camera shake and movement; landscape for far-away scenes; and close-up. There's also a flash button which easily controls the flash settings - auto, fill (always), red-eye, and off. There's a certain amount of picture editing that can be done in-camera, though I haven't used those features yet - I prefer......

GMRsMom says "Mess-free - no marks on walls or clothing!" about Crayola Color Wonder

GMRsMom — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:11:24 GMT

I absolutely LOVE Crayola's Color Wonder products! Living with light colored walls and new carpeting, I needed something that would allow my son to scribble and draw without having to worry about spending hours trying to remove stains later. I had heard about the Color Wonder line and decided to give it a try. We liked them so much we got a set to keep at each grandparent's house as well.

The products are a bit on the expensive side. I'd be happier if the paper was double-sided, as well. But compared to the cost - not to mention time - of trying to get stains out of clothing and off of walls, carpets, and furniture, they're worth it....

GMRsMom says "Easy to Hold, Don't Roll, and Clean-up Well" about Crayola Beginnings Washable Triangular Crayons

GMRsMom — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:03:29 GMT

The Crayola Beginnings Washable Triangle Crayons are great for little ones! I like that they don't roll all over the place like traditional round crayons. My son tends to drop one color as he picks up another and regular crayons would end up everywhere. They're a bit fatter than regular crayons, which seems to make it easier for him to hold, also. We've had no problems with him breaking them, either, and a typical boy, he's pretty hard on things. And best of all, the few times that he's actually drawn on something he shouldn't have with them, they really did clean up pretty easily!...

GMRsMom says "Not as nice as I thought it would be" about Infantino Sling Rider

GMRsMom — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:39:53 GMT

I was very unhappy with the Sling Rider. I tried it when my son was about a month old and he screamed and cried until I took him out. I thought the velcro would be great for helping to keep him secure, but it was uncomfortable for him. I also didn't like the way the opening seemed to close around him completely. I put it away to try again later. Again when he was about 7 months, we tried again. He still hated it.

It was also uncomfortable for me. The strap is too thick and kept hitting me in the neck. I never felt he was secure in it....

GMRsMom says "Scrapbook organizing at it's easiest!" about Navigator Organizer with Wheels

GMRsMom — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:40:34 GMT

I bought the Navigator Organizer because I simply had no easy way to get my scrap-booking stuff from point A to point B without making a dozen trips to my car each time. I do very little scrap-booking at home, so I wanted something that would fit everything yet still allow me to carry it easily. This was my answer!

It actually holds a lot more than I thought it would at first look. A HUGE main compartment with movable dividers holds hundreds of sheets of paper, albums, and boxes of embellishments. There are multiple elastic loops for pans and scissors. Velcro and zippered pockets on the sides and front give me places to store glue sticks, adhesives, embellishments, stamps, and other small items.

There are two side handles for lifting and a collapsible handle for pulling it on it's wheels. It does get pretty heavy when I have everything in it, but I'm mostly only lifting it in and out of the car and wheeling it everywhere else.

The retail price was $99.99, though I got mine on sale for......

GMRsMom says "Excellent, easy to use camcorder" about Sony - Handycam DCR-SR80 HDD Camcorder

GMRsMom — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:44:45 GMT

After the birth of my son, we decided we wanted to get a camcorder. The biggest thing was finding one that would be easy to use for the non-tech savvy. I also wanted something that could take still shots as well as video. I did a ton of research and reading reviews in various places, and finally settled on the Sony Handycam DCR-SR80. So far I'm loving it!

Instead of using removable media (tapes, cds, flash drives), the SR80 records to a 60 Gigabyte hard-drive - up to over 40 hours of video! It comes with software to either download to your computer and/or right to DVD.

The sound quality is great! I've seen other videos where you can't hear a thing, but the SR80's microphone picks up sounds well. It also comes with a cable that you can hook directly to the TV to view videos/pictures. The still photo quality isn't as good as you'd get with a good digital camera, but it's pretty decent. And it beats having to carry a camcorder and a camera everywhere.

Other features include:
-800......

GMRsMom says "Supportave AND Comfy - what more could you ask for?" about Cacique Balconette bra

GMRsMom — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:06:06 GMT

At a 38DDD, I have had the worst time finding bras that not only fit properly, but that are also supportive and comfortable. I went shopping out of desperation and the salesgirl recommended the Calique Balconette Bra. I couldn't believe how much I liked it as soon as I put it on! It fits great, it's super-comfy (and I usually despise under-wires with a burning passion!), and it keeps the "girls" right where I want them all day long without feeling like I'm about to spill over or fall out! I think I paid about $32 for one, which to me is well worth it for being able to feel confident and sexy. I tried several more expensive ones and wasn't happy at all with them. My husband thinks this is the best bra I've ever worn - he says he can tell I'm more comfortable wearing it - which says a lot if he's noticed such a difference!

The store I went to didn't seem to have a whole lot of colors available, but otherwise, I couldn't be happier with these bras!...

GMRsMom says "Beautiful flowers!" about FTD

GMRsMom — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:41:42 GMT

I used FTD for the first time this past Easter to send a miniature rose bush to my grandmother, who has grown award-winning roses since before I can remember. I was a little wary of ordering from a site like this at first, having known other people who've had problems with ordering from the big flower chains, especially out-of-state.

It was great! I went on-line, was able to browse and select what I wanted easily. I was able to track the shipment and received a notification when they arrived at her house. I haven't seen them in person yet, but apparently, the roses were beautiful and healthy (and she would have told me if they weren't!). She planted the bush in her garden and it's already blooming again.

Next time I need to order flowers or a plant, I'm definitely going to FTD!...

GMRsMom says "Golden opportunty to waste your time" about The Dragons Gold

GMRsMom — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:05:39 GMT

We'd all like to be able to make a little extra money at home easily, right? Right. Well, being a stay at home mom, I was looking into different ways to make a little extra - I didn't expect to get rich or anything, but maybe get a few dollars a week or so. I know a lot of these sights that you sign up for and complete surveys and offers and whatnot are just scams. There are a few legit ones, but they're pretty few and far between. So when someone I knew said they had done pretty well on TheDragonsGold.com, I figured, what the heck, give it a shot.

Long story short, the site's a complete scam.

Oh, there are a few nice incentives - a $5 sign up bonus, a low cash-out - only $15, lots of free offers to sign up for, so you don't even have to pay anything. Weekly and monthly contests for cash prizes. And bonuses for filling out even the free offers. Sounds great, right.

BUT, I filled out I don't know how-many free offers when I started. Out of them only 1 got approved. And I did......

GMRsMom says "Wraps up Hanging Plot from the Series" about Stargate: The Ark of Truth

GMRsMom — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:53:59 GMT

When Stargate:SG-1 ended, it left several plots hanging. The biggest one was what exactly happened to the Adria and the Ori? What everyone *hopes* and *thinks* happened is told, but not what actually occurred. The Ark of Truth finally answers that.

While I think this would have made a great 2-part or extended-length episode, it was a little disappointing as a stand alone movie. It felt as if I was watching any other Stargate episode.

I hate spoilers, so I won't go into any plot details. :)

But overall, it wrapped up some of the open plots rather nicely and made for an entertaining story.

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GMRsMom says "Friendly agents and cut our rates by over half!" about Allstate

GMRsMom — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:50:03 GMT

We went to Allstate when my husband's previous insurance company dropped him after an accident. With his driving record, we didn't qualify for an Allstate policy, but they farmed us out to State Farm's high risk policy. We paid a small fortune with State Farm. Even after two or three years and no tickets or accidents (and a previous accident and two tickets being removed from his record) our rates barely went down. When I received a letter from Allstate saying they could lower our rates, I went in to talk to them.

Allstate cut our rates by more than half! We went from paying over $5000 a year to less than $2500. Thats to insure two SUVs in New York City and renter's insurance. We haven't had any accidents or tickets since moving to Allstate, so I don't know about how either of those will raise our rates. But our rates have gone down quite a bit more in the three years since we've had Allstate as my husband's record has remained clean.

I love our agent. She's friendly and sooooo......

GMRsMom says "Safe way to give infants solid foods." about Baby Safe Feeder Baby Bottle

GMRsMom — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:16:51 GMT

The Baby Safe Feeder was invented by a father whose baby almost died from chocking on a biscuit. It's simple to use, just unscrew the top/handle, put whatever you want baby to have into the little mesh bag, replace the top, and you're ready to go. The handle is small enough for a baby to grasp easily by themselves.

We gave out son a lot of fresh fruit using this. He was able to suck and chew on it and get the juices while we didn't have to worry about him chocking on a piece.

These are also great for teething. I'd put an ice-cube in the bag and let my son chew on it to sooth his gums.

The entire thing is washable, either by hand or in the dishwasher. When the little net bags start to either show signs of wear or won't come clean, you just throw the net part away - I found 4-pack refills for them....

GMRsMom says "Love these bottles" about Playtex Ventaire Baby Bottles

GMRsMom — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:41:10 GMT

I received one of the Playtex Ventaire Wides from my OB during one of my pre-natal visits and when I had to begin supplementing breastfeeding with the bottle decided to give it a shot. We soon ended up buying more.

They come in two styles - regular and wide. They also have 6 oz and 9 oz sizes. I found these sizes to be much more versatile than the 4 and 8 ounce size bottles I usually find. I was able to use the 6 ounce bottles for months longer than a 4 ounce bottle. Being able to use them longer made them worth any extra cost.

The bend in the neck of the bottle makes it easier to hold baby upright while feeding. I also found that my son seemed to be getting less air with these than with other bottles. It's easy to find extra nipples and membranes for them (at least in my area). The nipples come in slow and fast flow. An in-between would be nice, though we didn't have too much trouble going from the slow to fast flow nipples - I'd say in less than a week my son had completely......

GMRsMom says "Great Story for All Ages" about The Book of Three

GMRsMom — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:45:02 GMT

The Book of Three is the first book in the five-book series of Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles. The books are based loosely on Welsh mythology, most notably The Maninogion and anyone familiar with it will notice many familiar names. It is not simply a retelling of Welsh myths, however. Alexander also has a cast of unique characters with which he weaves a truly amazing story.

I first read the Prydain Chronicles in elementary school and have re-read them many times since. They were some of the few books I took to college with me and that never got packed away when I moved. The story has never lost it's magic, even after 20+ years.

The Book of Three begins by introducing Taren, an orphan raised by the enchanter Dallben, who longs to leave the small farm and go off on adventures like his hero, Prince Gwydion. Wanting to be something, Taren is dubbed Assistant Pig-Keeper, giving his duties of caring for the oracular pig Hen Wen a title. When Hen Wen flees one day into the forest,......

GMRsMom says "Check your facts before forwarding that e-mail myth on." about Snopes

GMRsMom — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:24:45 GMT

I love Snopes! There are a few people on my e-mail list (who shall remain nameless - you know who you are!) who insist on sending me every little e-mail that they've ever been forwarded because "Well, if so-and-so sent it to me or I saw it at such-and-such a place, then it must be true!" WRONG! I've found most of those "e-mail legends" to be absolutely false. Everything from Bill Gates is giving away billions of dollars to everyone who forwards this message to the CIA's spying on you through your television and everything in between.

The site is easy to search and is pretty extensive. I haven't had one search come up with no information there yet - and I get a LOT of this crap sent to me. Snopes usually also shows the origin of a particular story and sometimes where it may have roots in the truth, but where it's gotten twisted or misunderstood.

Do your friends/colleagues/relatives/everyone in your address book and yourself a favor. Before forwarding that e-mail you just got about......