Reviews by Friends of LindaBee

SpokaneMan says "The Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack is a Fun and Interactice Baby Toy." about Fisher Price Rock a Stack

SpokaneMan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:43:10 GMT

The Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack is one of those classic toys where most parents now have already had one when they were a child. The Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack has been around for a long time now, and that is because the product is great for the baby's development. Not only that, but the Rock-a-Stack is such a simple toy that even if the baby doesn't understand the point of the toy at first, it double's as a great teething toy with lots of different parts that the baby can play with.

For those who haven't heard of the Fisher Price Rock-a-Stack, it is a toy that comes with a base and a pole which has five rings on it. These donut shaped rings all slide off the top of the pole, and can be played with individually by the baby or toddler. Each ring is a different size, working from the biggest one on the bottom up to the smallest one on the top, and they also all come in different colors. Recently Fisher Price has started selling the Rock-a-Stack with a fifth ring that is partially...

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SpokaneMan says "A Great Set of Baby Keys That is Extremely Affordable" about RC2 First Keys

SpokaneMan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:29:28 GMT

This is the first baby toy that we have already purchased a second and third time for our baby, and it is simply because she loves them so much. The Rc2 Brand baby keys are nothing spectacular to look at, as they are just five plastic keys that come on a key ring. The draw to these keys from the baby side of things, is that they are so lightweight that they can do anything they want with the keys. What we have taken to doing, is giving our baby these keys when she is waiting in her high chair for dinner, and she takes to playing them until she is served.

There are five keys that come on the little key ring, with each of them having a different shape and color. This sets the keys apart from each other, and makes the whole toy appear bright with color. That makes it appealing to the eyes four our baby, and it gets her attention every time she sees them. The other way we get her attention with the keys is by rattling them, and then she perks up right away. The ring is large...

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SpokaneMan says "The Fisher Price Musical Teether Keys Toy is a Great Baby Toy." about Fisher Price Musical Teether Keys

SpokaneMan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:56:00 GMT

We purchased an expansive teething toy for our baby that has a lot of different entities to it, and which she has come to enjoy after a lot of use. This particular baby toy is the Fisher Price Musical Teether Keys, which isn't really keys in the typical sense of the word, but could be given that title. I would better classify this Fisher Price toy as a miniature activity center where the baby has a number of things that they can play with or use to teeth on. It's the multi-purpose functionality of this toy as both a teether and a musical toy that make it worth purchasing.

If you take a look at the picture, you can see that the top part is a ring that can hook on to any of your strollers or baby seats so that it doesn't get dropped on the floor. That is connected to another ring, with one side containing three sound making buttons. These buttons give different chimes, with one being a doorbell and another being like a car horn. They also each play a few bars of a song once...

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SpokaneMan says "Earth's Best Organic First Squash Went Over Great With Baby!" about Earth's Best Organic Baby Food

SpokaneMan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:35:04 GMT

Earth's Best First Squash is a baby food sold to parents looking to introduce their babies to new foods. This is one of many beginner foods that Earth's Best sells in an organic form, and another in a great line of products that are made with real ingredients. One of the big selling points to the Earth's Best First Squash is that there aren't additional fillers used to expand the container, and that the ingredients are extremely limited. In fact the only ingredient that even makes the nutrition list is organic squash, putting the minds of parent's at ease about what their child might be getting in this dish.

The Earth's Best First Squash comes in a small jar that is advertised as being organically grown without potentially harmful pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. Each jar contains one serving of the food (71 grams), but because it comes in a jar that can be refrigerated, you don't have to serve the whole think in one sitting. With the Earth's Best First Squash, we have split...

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SpokaneMan says "Gerber Organic Sweet Potatoes Have Been a Great Baby Treat" about Gerber Organic Sweet Potatoes

SpokaneMan — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:22:32 GMT

One of the first real foods we tried with our baby was the Gerber Organic Sweet Potatoes. They are part of the Gerber 1st foods program, where the company has created a selection of foods that are not only easy for the baby to eat, but easy on their stomach. The sweet potatoes option is sold in addition to their carrots and peas, and it comes in a 2-pack that makes it extremely easy to serve the baby. Each of the containers also contains two servings, so with one 2-pack you end up with four good meals. With each being wrapped separately, it also allows you to just use one, and save the other for later.

The Gerber Organic Sweet Potatoes have no filler ingredients, and are limited to just the sweet potatoes and water in their construction. They are a very healthy option for the baby, with each container only having 45 calories total. It's not really the point in their lives where you need to be worried about calories, but it's a good peace of mind to have when you know that...

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mrkstvns says "The Most Beautiful Cavern in Texas!" about Cave Without a Name

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:38:05 GMT

I'm always looking for fun things to do with my kids on the weekends, and one thing we all love to do is to explore a "land down under". Underground that is. As in cave tours.

We do quite a few cave tours because it's fun, it's educational, it's interesting, it's beautiful, it's totally natural, and because it's a very cool thing to do (literally! It's like 68 degrees underground even when it's a skull-scorching 104 in the shade up top.).

One of the most naturally beautiful caves we've visited in Texas is the Cave Without a Name, located outside Boerne Texas. Boerne is in the heart of the infamous Texas Hill Country, maybe a half hour or so northwest of San Antonio. Though it can be something of a challenge to actually FIND, the Cave Without a Names is fairly close to San Antonio, making it an excellent family day trip for visitors to the Alamo Ciy.

Not only is the Cave Without a Name beautiful and natural, it's also affordable fun: $14 for adults and $7 for kids. A tour takes a bit over...

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mrkstvns says "A World of Childhood Wonder -- Mexico City's Papalote Museum" about Papalote Museo del Nino

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:49:57 GMT

I'm a dad, and that means I spend a fair chunk of time on any trip doing things that shorter people like doing. Zoos and parks figure prominently in our family time, but so too do the many children's museums that are becoming highlights of many major cities. My small crew have been to quite a few children's museums, but their favorite (and mine too) is the delightful Papalote Museo del Nino in Mexico City.

I love the Papalote Museum because it's so big with such an enormous variety of fun activities and because it's got such GOOD exhibits for the little hands and developing minds. Many of the exhibits are hands-on explorations of the world we live in, with a hefty dose of technology to go with it. Papalote has these, just like most childrens' museums do. But what Papalote has that sets it apart are several exhibits that strike me as particularly Mexican.

Most childrens museums I've been to don't have hands-on archaeoligical digs, but then, most childrens museums aren't located in the heart...

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mrkstvns says "It's ALWAYS a Gruesome Halloween Night at the Mummy Museum!" about Museo de las Momias

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:14:38 GMT

One of the COOLEST, most utterly gruesome and terrifyingly WEIRD museums in all of Mexico is the infamous Museo de las Momias --- The Mummy Museum!!

Most travelers come to Guanajuato for the beautiful colonial atmosphere and the city's many cultural celebrations and festivals. But the macabre Museo de las Momias is just icing on the cake!

The museum has an ENORMOUS collection of mummies --- must be hundreds of them. There's galleries where you walk in, and just look down long glass showcases with mummy after mummy, most with grotesque expressions of death on their face, scraps of rotted clothing, bits of wood and dust, or other typical mummy attire.

Some though are just plain unsettling. They have a collection of "child mummies" --- babies or toddlers who died and became mummified, some still wearing very identifiable Sunday best, or clutching rotted bits of beloved toys.

You do know what Beethoven is doing these days, right? He's decomposing!

Well, that's a sure sign that he wasn't buried...

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mrkstvns says "The Convenient Weekend Beach Getaway for Arizona Partiers..." about Puerto Penasco

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:40:03 GMT

A look at a map shows you that Arizona is a land-locked state. It also shows you that it has a long border with Mexico and that there are miles of beaches along the Sea of Cortez just beckoning to Arizona locals. The most popular and fully developed of these beaches is Puerto Peñasco, which many Arizona folks prefer to call "Rocky Point" because otherwise they have to learn how to pronounce the sound of the ñ (en-yay) character, which as all gringos know, is a terrifying prospect indeed.

In any case, Puerto Peñasco has some things going for it that make it popular with the Arizona local yokels. First, it's got beaches (which sure beats the miles of brown sand that Arizona has). Second, it's pretty darn affordable with lots of dirty cheap hotel rooms and plenty of small seafood restaurants where you can sit out on the beach and dig your toes into the brown sand as waiters bring out plate after plato of yummy-licious camarones al diablo or filetes al mojo de ajo, along with chilly cervezas...

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mrkstvns says "Museo de Jose Luis Cuevas --- Where Modern Meets Ancient" about Museo Jose Luis Cuevas

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:09:13 GMT

There are more than 100 major museums in Mexico City, making it one of the most complex yet most rewarding big city destinations in the world. There's at least dozen big museums that can take you hours, if not full days, to tour --- but there are also countless smaller museums with tightly focused themes that can be fully experienced within only a couple hours. The Museo de Jose Luis Cuevas is one of these smaller museums.

I love the traditional Spanish architecture of the colonial home in which the museum is housed. It's just a few blocks walk from the Zocalo, making it an very easy side trip for anyone already sightseeing in the downtown area. It also means that, like just about everything in Mexico City's Centro area, everything you see and touch is about 400 - 500 years old. You'll walk up the cobblestone streets to the museum, which is easily identified by the enormous warped looking human heads outside.

Those sculptures give you a delicious first taste of what Jose Luis Cuevas is...

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mrkstvns says "Museo de Vidrio --- A Unique Glass Museum in Monterrey" about Museo de Vidrio

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:25:57 GMT

Monterrey is one of Mexico's most interesting large cities because it's so dynamic and there's so much to see and do for the visitor who scratches just slightly below the surface.

The city has quite a lot to offer the visitor with an interest in the fine arts, and one of its real artistic gems is the Museo del Vidrio --- the Glass Museum. The museum itself is located inside a mammoth industrial glass works, and it does have some exhibits that are educational and that inform you about glass as a commercial product. That's not its strongest point though.

The Museo del Vidrio has an extensive collection of stunning artworks, all crafted from glass. There are many, many examples of hand-blown and spun glass objects of stunning artistry and complexity, but what blows my mind are the really large, complex artworks. They have things like an enormous horse that sparkles under its spotlights as if it were crafted from a million diamonds --- but it's glass.

There's also an enjoyable gift shop on site,...

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SpokaneMan says "A Healthy Vegetable Option for that Growing Baby." about Gerber Green Beans

SpokaneMan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:35:35 GMT

When our baby made it to solid foods it was time to start trying baby foods as well. I wouldn't exactly call the Gerber Green Beans a "solid" food, but a big step for any baby. We purchased several different Gerber foods to try out, and one of them was the Gerber Green Beans. The package itself comes in a 2-pack with each container having 2.5 ounces of pureed green beans. Each container also comes with snap on lids, so you can refrigerate what is left over if your baby hasn't made it to the stage of finishing a full package yet.

These green beans don't come with any additives other than water, and they are an extremely healthy option for your baby. There are barely any calories in this vegetable option, but it does serve to provide a nice amount of potassium to help your baby's diet. The green beans are easy to serve to your baby, and can be eaten right out of the container. My suggestion though, is that if you aren't going to give your baby the whole package, take some...

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SpokaneMan says "The Best Baby Powder For That Clean Baby Bottom." about Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder with Aloe & Vitamin E

SpokaneMan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:50:03 GMT

Baby powder is a way of life for any parent that has to change a lot of diapers, and as a father who has to change dozens of diapers a week for my daughter, baby powder is a requirement at the diaper changing station. There are many different reasons to use baby powder when changing diapers, but there are two that stand out above the rest for me personally. The first is that it helps to absorb any wetness that is left behind by the wipes we use, and the second is that the baby powder has its own smell, so you can easily check the baby diaper without even looking inside.

Johnson's Baby Powder has become our brand of choice, and I don't see us changing gears when it comes to this product anytime soon. More specifically, we use the Johnson's Baby Powder that has aloe and vitamin E inside of it, which is much gentler on the baby. The Johnson's Baby Powder has a base of cornstarch, and its key use is to deal with any moisture that may have been left behind when changing a diaper. ...

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SpokaneMan says "A Nice Personal Fan Built For Your Desktop" about Lasko Platinum Desktop Wind Tower

SpokaneMan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:33:31 GMT

We went to the store looking to purchase one small desk fan, and liked the display model of the Lasko Platinum Desktop Wind Tower that we ended up buying two of them for our house. The reason we started liking them so much, was that there are two sections to the fan, allowing you to point the fan in two directions at the same time. If you take a look at the product picture, you can see the separation between the top grill and bottom grill to the fan. This allows you to alter the direction that both are facing, and to really get a nice breeze in your room.

This is a really great desktop fan, because it allows you to circulate air around a room faster, and while it is oscillating, you are doubling up just how well the fan is "working the room." The fan comes pre-assembled and you just have to take it out of the box and plug it in, and have front mounted controls that allow you to select which speed you want the fan to work. There are three speeds to this Lasko desktop fan, and...

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SpokaneMan says "A Great Product For Sensitive Skin With No Dyes." about Tide Ultra Free -- Dermatologist Tested

SpokaneMan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:47:18 GMT

With a new baby in the house we wanted to move away from our normal Tide detergents just to make sure that we weren't introducing the baby to something he skin wasn't ready to deal with. It wasn't a big journey, as we came across a version of Tide that was made without the dyes and fragrances of most other products on the market. Tide Ultra Free, nicknamed is Dermatologist Tested Tide, comes without any of the additives that many other laundry detergents have, and presents the same cleaning power as regular Tide with a slight improvement.

The way that this tide is even better than the other detergents out there is that it is a 2X ultra brand, meaning that it's twice as powerful. That leads to needing only half as much to do a full load, saving money in the end. The trade off is that it costs a little bit more upfront for the bottles, but we would have been paying that price anyways for the dye-free detergents. With this Tide product we can stick with a brand that we really like,...

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SpokaneMan says "Freshens the Room with Needed Quickness." about Febreze Extra Strength

SpokaneMan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:36:35 GMT

Febreze Extra Strength is a product from the great line of fresheners from Febreze. This particular type of Febreze is a lightly scented but extra strength version that is intended to eliminate odors and freshen the room. It can be used to freshen fabrics, carpets, and even the air with the easy to use spray bottle that can be purchased in many different sizes. The current bottle of Febreze Extra Strength that we have in the house cost just over $3.00 for 27 ounces of the product.

Putting the Febreze Extra Strength to work is as easy as squeezing the trigger of the spray bottle. The nozzle can be adjusted so that you are using a mist or a spray, and then it turns to a state of being off or closed. The great thing about the Febreze extra strength product, is that it can be breathed in easily without causing any problems, and it isn't packed with toxic chemicals that are going to harm your kids or pets. It's very safe to use around cats and dogs, and as with most air products...

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SpokaneMan says "This is a Great (and Safe) Tub For That Growing Baby!" about The First Years Sure Comfort Deluxe Newborn to Toddler Tub with Sling

SpokaneMan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:44:34 GMT

After using the Summer Infant Baby Bather for we had to move up in size when our baby got to six months and was too big for the first one. We were gifted one of these Sure Comfort Deluxe tubs, which can be used for both newborns and toddlers. Our daughter took to the new tub right away, and with the added freedom and space of this new tub also came the fun she now has with bath time. It isn't so much a chore anymore as a time to bond between us and the baby, and this is a great tool to have on hand during that process.

This is another very affordable bathtub to have around the house, but it isn't quite as baby safe as the Summer Infant Bather. The reason for that, is that when you move to a real tub such as this one, your baby is already more energetic and mobile, making bath time a process where the parent has to be even more vigilant about what the baby is doing. As long as you place the baby in the tub correctly, they are going to be perfectly safe, just make sure to always...

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SpokaneMan says "The Summer Infant Baby Bather Was Great For Our Newborn." about Summer Infant Baby Bather

SpokaneMan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:29:54 GMT

Fresh out of the hospital, we needed something that would serve as a great tool for bathing our newborn baby at night. What we came upon was the Summer Infant Baby Bather, which turned out to be a great tool to wash the little one. The biggest selling point to us was the fact that it seemed safe for a little baby, but the price was also something that we didn't frown upon. We were able to purchase the Summer Infant Baby Bather for less than $20.00, and I must say that we really got our money's worth out of this baby bather.

As you can see from the product photo for the Summer Infant Baby Bather, it is tilted at an angle to help wash the baby easily. We used it in the bottom of our bathtub at home during bath time, and merely set the bather in the bottom of the tub to begin washing the baby. The mesh construction of the liner sinks the baby into the bather slightly, and allows for her to still have mobility while basically being held in place. This is to keep the baby from...

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SpokaneMan says "A Great Tool For Keeping Those Baby Wipes Warm and Ready For Use" about Especially For Baby Wipe Warmer With Light

SpokaneMan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:14:15 GMT

The Especially For Baby Wipe Warmer With Light is exactly what it sounds like, and that is a warmer for baby wipes. It works like it sounds as well, where you simply put some store bought wipes into the warmer, and it keeps them warm for when you need to do your next diaper change. The warmness of wipes is generally believed to give your baby more comfort when they are being changed, and is thought to be a good way to avoid them having something cold on their bottom that will cause them to "go" again.

We have one of these Especially For Baby wipe warmers in the baby's room, and we used it every time that we are in a diaper changing session. Having a wet wipe that is already pre-warmed makes the process a whole lot easier, and has given us peace of mind with this product. It was very easy to set up right out of the box, as all you need to do is plug it in to a safe outlet, pull back the top lid, and place a stack of new wipes inside. The warmer begins heating up the top few right...

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SpokaneMan says "Carter's Makes Great One-Pieces To Provide Cuteness and Warmth." about Carter's Onesies

SpokaneMan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:01:11 GMT

Carter's makes a ton of different one piece baby clothing that can serve a double purpose for parents. The first purpose is that the onesies are providing a nice comfortable feel for the baby, who starts to not even worry about wearing clothes anymore. The second purpose is that they provide a lot of warmth to the baby as well. We have a whole dresser drawer filled with Carter's Onesies, and have gone back on several occasions to purchase different colors and designs of these clothes.

Carter's does a good job at creating baby clothing that is going to be practical as well as "cute" for the parents. Let's face it; our baby's don't really recognize that they are wearing something cute, and wouldn't know if it was a nice outfit or a crummy T-shirt. The clothes are for us as parents when it comes to whether or not they are visually appealing, and that goes double if we are showing off our baby to the co-workers, family, or friends. The key to the success that Carter's has, is...

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