BPA FREE BOTTLES

I have been following the information and controversy on Bisphenol-A (BPA) and the dangers/risks of it in bottles, sippy cups, etc. It is becoming more and more talked about and a lot of companies are now trying to pull bottles/cups from their shelves that are not BPA Free (most are not BPA free). Walmart announced that they are going to only sell BPA Free bottles by early next year. Babies R' Us announced that they are going to phase out bottles with BPA by the end of 2008. This is causing a lot of companies to have to change their ways. It will take time, but hopefully everyone will follow suit so we do not have to be as concerned. You can check a blog called Z Recommends that has done A TON of research on the subject and you can read here and here about it as well. This is why a bottle company called Born Free is becoming more and more popular (they are BPA free) as well as why Dr. Browns is now making a glass bottle line. Nalgene, one of the biggest makers of hard-plastic water bottles sold in stores like REI, announced that it will pull all its bottles containing BPA from store shelves in the coming weeks. You should probably stop using Nalgene water bottles if you have them. It is important for each of us to do our own research and draw our own conclusions on this topic.

DAY OUT WITH THOMAS

Thomas is coming to the Heber Valley Railroad May 22-26th. Get your tickets soon!

DISNEY WORLD

I am back from my vacation to Disney World. I have been several times now and this is what I have learned.

Be sure to get dining reservations at the Disney World parks. You can make them up to 180 days in advance by calling 407-WDW-DINE. If you have a princess in your family you can dine at Cinderella's Royal Table with the princesses at the Castle or with other princesses at the Akerhaus Royal Banquet Hall at Epcot.

They also have the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where little girls can be transformed into a princess by getting their hair, makeup and nails done. There is another package where they can pick out a princess gown, shoes & wand in addition. They have a boutique located at Downtown Disney or at Cinderella's castle. You can make a reservation by calling 407-WDW-STYLE.

BEN & JERRY'S FREE CONE DAY

In honor of their 30th Birthday, Ben & Jerry's is giving away free ice cream cones on Tuesday, April 29th. Click here to find a participating location.

BASKIN ROBBINS 31 cent scoop night!

From Baskins Robbins site:
On Wednesday, April 30th from 5-10 pm.

Join us for 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins® and help us honor America’s firefighters. Participating stores will reduce prices of small icecream scoops to 31 cents. At some locations, you may also have an opportunity to make a donation to your local fire charities.

HEALTH INSURANCE FOR A CHILD

I do not know much about Health Insurance. I think it is soooo confusing. I thought I would pass on something I learned about my son's Health Insurance. As far as I understand if you are on a group plan (typically through an employer) then they charge you the same rate whether you have 1 child or 4 children it is the same or 5 or 6 or whatever. If you only have 1 child then it is a lot cheaper to put them on their own individual plan instead of having them on a group plan. I hope I am making sense. Here is my example...when we had our son we were going to add him to a group plan and it made our insurance go up about $240. Instead we put him on his very own individual plan through a different insurance provider and it only cost $100 for his insurance (which is great coverage) for a savings of $140 a month. I hope this helps someone out there. It is completely legit and acceptable through the insurance companies.

DELTA CORRECTION

The $3 a bag fee is effective now for each bag checked at sky cab. The additional changes of 1 bag per person and such will take effect of May 5, 2008. Sorry for the confusion.

VACATION

I will be taking a break for the next week. I know, I know...how will you live without me :)
I will be back to blogging on the 28th. In the meantime, you can read up on my older posts!

KID'S BEACH TOWELS

Pottery Barn Kids has darling beach towels that you can have personalized with your child's name, but I didn't realize that they also have hooded beach towels that you can personalize! They have some darling designs too. A lot of them are internet exclusive, so check out their site. I bet they won't last long. The regular towels are $22 and the hooded are $25. Personalization is $6.50.
*Thanks Holly for the tip!

UTAH VALLEY WOMEN'S EXPO

The Utah Valley Women's Expo is coming up on May 2nd & 3rd, 2008, 11 am to 8 pm (both days) at McKay Events Center, Orem, Utah. I don't know much about it, but wanted to pass on the info. for those who might be interested. I am quite confused, though. It appears that this is going on the same days as the What a Woman Wants show at the South Towne Expo center as well.

CURDZ N' WHEY

The Curdz N' Whey boutique in Draper has some fun items. They carry Kalencom Diaper Bags, which are a nice, functional and stylish bag for a good price. They also have Pediped Shoes and some of their Pedipeds are on sale for $20. I got my son some cute squeaker sandals for church. (The squeaker is obviously coming out). It is a fun store and definitely worth checking out. Their website is not updated so here is their contact info.:
Curdz N' Whey
715 E. 12300 S., Suite D
Draper, Utah 84020
801-523-3545

They are in the shopping center by Rod Works in Draper off 700 E.

WHAT A WOMAN WANTS SHOW

The What a Woman Wants Show is coming up on May 2-3 at the South Towne Expo Center. Click here to get a 2 for 1 admission coupon.
*Thanks Tara!

DEBBIE MEYER GREEN BAGS

I am a sucker for good advertising. So..of course I had to buy these Debbie Meyer GreenBags when I saw them at Bed Bath & Beyond. They are $9.99 for 20 bags that can each be reused 8-10 times. I of course used a coupon to get them for less. The pictures of fruits and vegetables stored with/without the bags are amazing! (that is where the sucker part comes in). I have my bananas in a bag right now, so I will report back and let you know how they worked. (Has anyone else tried these?)

STEPHANIE MEYER

For all you Twilight fans, Stephanie Meyer is coming on Good Things Utah on May 16th. Their audience is already full that day. She will be talking about her new book "The Host" that will come out May 6th.

TULIP FESTIVAL

I need to make a correction to the post on the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival. Those who have a Thanksgiving Point Membership are free.

** I have also heard from a few different people that the Tulips are not really up yet and it is a disappointment. I would wait for a little while and maybe even go when the Tulip Festival is over. That way it will be less crowded, but you will still see the pretty tulips.

NESTING BLOCKS

I bought these Melissa & Doug Nesting blocks for my son for his 2nd birthday (which isn't until June, but I have an obsession with buying things for him). I bought them at Toys R' Us and they were only $9.99. I think he will have fun with them (mostly the knocking down part) and I like how they have the alphabet on them. *Thanks to Jen V. for the suggestion!

I am also intrigued by these other Nesting blocks called Dado Cubes. They interlock and also nest inside of each other (for easy storage and fun).

BABY GAP

Shorts at Baby Gap right now are buy one get one 50% off. For a limited time only in stores and online. It only applies to regular priced items.

SHADE SALE

There is a Shade Clothing Sale/Fundraiser at Provo High School on Saturday, April 19th from 9-5 pm in the Provo High School Parking lot. Everything is $5! They will have thousands of discontinued styles and colors. *A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Provo High School Speech & Debate team and IB CAS Club.

DELTA

CORRECTION:
The policy of an additional bag fee will take effect on May 5, 2008.

The airlines are really tightening their belts lately. I am not sure about the new policies with other airlines, but here are Delta's:

-Each passenger is only allowed (1) checked bag. An additional bag is $25. The (1) bag you check must weigh less than 50 lbs. if it is over then you pay $80 for 51-70 lbs. and $150 for 71-100 lbs. Strollers are allowed for free, but it does not mentions pack n' plays, so you will need to make arrangements for a bed for your child wherever you are going. (Unless you want to pay $25 to check one). An unticketed child is not allowed any baggage. A ticketed child is alloted their (1) bag.

-At the SLC Airport the sky cabs are able to check your bags and print a boarding pass (it is so convenient and beats going inside and standing in line). In the past you only had to pay a tip for this service. Now, the airlines are charging $3 a bag for this service (plus the tip you give). Delta will let you get around this if you check in online and be sure to put the number of bags you have they will waive the $3 a bag fee.

-One more thing about Delta. If you do not add to or take away from your Skymiles for a 2 year period then you will lose them!

** I do not know if they would let you check a stroller and a car seat with your bags (it is probably one or the other). We always take our son in his stroller and snugrider (or travel system if you use one) to the gate when he is an infant and in his Toddler Car Seat with the Go Go Kidz Travelmate now that he is older, so we check those items at the gate instead of with our bags. When we get to the gate we always ask if they have an extra seat we can put our son in. When he turns 2 we will do the same thing, but we will have to purchase the seat.

If you want to not worry about it and take your baby to the gate to hold them on your lap then check their car seat with your bags and push your child in their stroller and check it at the gate.

OH SWEET SADIE

Oh Sweet Sadie is at it again! They have 2 shows coming up on May 2 & 3 in Herriman and May 9 & 10 in Draper. Go on their site to get the exact locations and times. They are doing giveaways on their blog from now until the shows too. They will have over 60 artisans and will even have the Boot Scoot Bike that I just highlighted as well as pettiskirts, nursing covers, etc. etc. etc.

THE CHILDREN'S PLACE

I forgot to mention 2 more reasons why I like The Children's Place. You can return items up to 6 months later with a receipt. I love it because sometimes I am not sure what size my son will be (especially in pants) so I just buy both sizes and then return them down the road. You just have to be on the ball and keep your receipts organized. Staple them to the tag of the clothes if you have to.

The other thing I love is that they always mail out 15% and sometimes 20% off coupons (get on their mailing list - in the store or online). If you don't have a coupon with you when you are in the store ask them if they have a coupon they will give you and they will almost always give you the 15% off! You have to physically have the coupon to get 20% off.

THE CHILDREN'S PLACE

I really like The Children's Place for clothes for my son. I buy a lot of his church and play clothes there. You can mix and match their summer fashions 3 for $15, plus their Spring Sale is still going on with items an extra 30% off in the outlet. You can also use coupon code S1A48 to save an extra 15% on your entire order. Don't forget they offer $5 flat rate shipping

DILLY DALLY BIBBIE

My friend is a partner in this new company called Dilly Dally that they are getting ready to launch. They are doing a preview of their items on Thursday, April 17th from 7:00-8:30 in West Jordan. They have an awesome bib called the bibbie. It has so many purposes! It is made of a thick, quilted and absorbent fabric that you could use for a drooling or messy baby, eating, an apron for cooking, playing, in the car when you don't want the snacks all over the clothes, etc. etc. I love it because it can have so many purposes for all different kids and moms.

MAX & CHEESE - (A KID'S CAFE)

There is a new Kid's Cafe in Orem, Utah where kids are welcome and parents are tolerated called Max and Cheese. It is such a darling concept. The entire cafe is geared toward children from the toys and such down to the menu. Although the adult food does look quite tasty. They also do birthday parties! They are open for Lunch and Dinner, Monday-Saturday from 11-7.

BED BATH & BEYOND

I love Bed Bath & Beyond. I prefer it to its competitors because they have a better return policy and because of their coupons. They will accept their own coupons even if they are EXPIRED! I get them in the mail all the time (join their mailing list if you don't) and I keep all of them since they will accept them. They will also accept more than one on a transaction. They like to do no more than 4, but I have had them accept more than that. They will accept Linens N' Things coupons, but not if they are expired. Linens N' Things will not accept expired coupons at all.

**I should mention that some Bed Bath & Beyond stores do not accept the expired coupons. You need to check with your local store. I know the store in Orem, Utah on University Parkway stopped accepting them a few years ago, but every other store I have encountered has accepted them.

SITES FOR LDS CALLINGS

Some people have asked for sites to help with LDS Church callings. I would love any input if any of you know of more!

Most of you know about my all time favorite sugardoodle.net Sugar Doodle also will link you to other good sites like Mormonshare, The Idea Door, etc.

You can also join a Yahoo Group that was formed for your specific calling. It is where others with the same calling join the group too and everyone swaps ideas and posts about things they are doing in their calling. People even post files of things that they have used or created. Just be careful to not get the "daily digest" where you get all the emails that anyone in the group sends. Unless you want a million emails a day! These groups are not endorsed by the LDS Church, so it is just people's own opinions and you need to be careful to use your own discretion and inspiration as well as know the Church policies. These are some of the groups I have joined in the past for various callings. If I do not have a group you are looking for just go on groups.yahoo.com and try searching for a group that might help you out.

Primusic - 3,551 members for Primary Choristers

lds-youngwomen - 2,164 members for Young Women leaders

LDS_Young_Women - 1,775 members also for Young Women leaders (I'm not sure why there are 3 of them), but they are different.

YW leaders - 1,610 members also for Young Women

PrimaryPage - 6,572 members for Primary leaders/teachers

Nursery - 1,203 members for Nursery leaders/teachers

They also have groups for Sunbeams, Cub Scouts, Girls camp, etc.

BEST NURSING COVERS

Nursing Covers came out right after I was done nursing my son. I will definitely get one the next time around. I think they are genius! So much better than trying to hold a blanket up and worry about the child pulling it down. Here are some of the companies that stand out to me.

The Milk Chic cover is a great price and has similar features to the others. It is $24 and comes with Free Shipping. They also have some unique fabrics. They are offering readers a free diaper dandee (a $9 value) when you purchase a nursing cover if you put RTK (from "Random Tips from Karen") in at your paypal checkout.

The Mommy Cover is the most expensive cover in this group. The 2 things that make it stand out are the reel system (a reel that goes around your back to pull the 2 sides of the cover together and give you full coverage on your sides). It also has a silk neck band and is 2 sided. It costs around $48. They were shown in the Utah Baby Guide and you can use LOVEUTAH on their website to get 15% off or mention the guide at the local stores in Utah to also get the discount.

I really like the Milk Mumu because of all the features for the price. They have great fabric choices, a large terry cloth pocket to hold nursing pads and a fabric case to hold the cover that could also hold diapers and wipes. The have some covers on sale for $23.99 and they are $27.99 regular price. Right now on the main page of their site you can click a link to get 10% off.

Probably the most "well known" nursing cover is the Bebe au Lait also known as the Hooter Hider. They have some great fabrics (I love the one above) and are priced from $35-$38.

THANKSGIVING POINT TULIP FESTIVAL

The Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival runs from April 11-26 (closed Sundays) from 10-8 pm. Adults are $10, Children are $6. Members (and their guests) receive half off admission.

CONFESSION

I have a confession. I mostly have this blog to get comments from all of you! I know I am pathetic, but it is true and I am not afraid to admit it.

I really do love hearing from all of you...so comment already, okay? The comments have been slowly trailing off the last little while and I need to know you are all out there.

And to those of you who have commented...THANK YOU! It means a lot to me. (You know who you are).

BOOT SCOOT BIKE

The Boot Scoot Bike is so great. It is a balance bike (also called walking bikes, running bikes, or push bikes) for kids starting around age 2 (depending on their inseam/height) that helps them balance and will eventually help them learn to ride a bike. They are big in Europe and most of the balance bikes you see are wooden (which aren't durable). A girl in Utah wanted to buy one for her son, but didn't want a wooden one. She found a need for metal balance bikes, so the Boot Scoot Bike was born!

Go on their site and watch the video of her son on the Boot Scoot Bike. It is awesome how young kids can figure out how to push and walk along and also glide on these bikes.

They believe in supporting small and local businesses, so you will not find the Boot Scoot Bike in big box retailers. They are at a few bike shops in Utah and on their site. The prices start at $65. They currently come in Blue and Green and once the inventory gets lower they will make a pink one.

MY FOOD STORAGE DEALS

This is a great thing for all of you that live in UTAH. It is a website called My Food Storage Deals. You pay a subscription each month and they email you a list of all of the deals at the local grocery stores (Harmons, Maceys, Reams, Albertsons & Smiths. The purpose is to be able to stock up on items to acquire a food storage and get great prices doing it. Now through the end of April you can get a discount on your subscription price. There is no contract, so you can cancel at any time. I love it because I always wonder if sale prices at the grocery store are cheaper than Costco and they put the items in red if they are a stock up price (because they are cheaper than Costco). Blue if they are an Good deal (but more than Costco) and Green which is an okay deal and you should only buy if you are out.

A sale at Smith's last week (that ends today) is a good one. I saw on the ad that they showed Jif for $18 for a 12 count case. It says limit 2 cases per customer, so I naively assumed that it was a really good deal. Well...My Food Storage Deals has it in blue, which means that Costco is cheaper and it is not a stock up price. But they do have canned vegetables in a case of 24 for $9.36, which is a stock up price.

I am so excited about this! It is hard to know when you are getting a good deal at the grocery store and as a busy mom we do not have much time to worry about comparing all the grocery stores around town. This takes all the guess work out of your grocery shopping!

*Thanks Andrea for the tip!

ERGO BABY CARRIER

I really like my Baby Bjorn, but if I could do it over again I might consider the Ergo Baby Carrier. It is more functional than the Bjorn as it can go on front, back or on your hip and it goes up to a higher weight limit than the Bjorn.

WICKED COMING TO UTAH!

Did you hear that Wicked is coming to SLC in 2009? It will run from April 8-May 3rd at the Captiol Theatre. Tickets will go on sale later this year (it has not been announced when).

BLOGGING BREAK

I will be taking a little blogging break for the next few days...see you Monday!

BOON FLO

I am glad I bought the Boon Flo awhile ago. It is nice to have to cover to protect my son from the faucet, but the real reason I like it is because it makes the water come out of the faucet like a waterfall and my son LOVES to fill up cups and dump them out over and over. It is definitely not on my MUST HAVE list, but it serves its purpose for us.

While I am talking about the bath, does anyone have a bath toy storage they recommend? I have seen the Frog Pod (also made by Boon) and lots of other options, but I can't decide what I like the best.

YOUNG CHEFS ACADEMY

The Young Chefs Academy is such a darling place! They offer fun and very interactive cooking classes for kids starting at age 3. They have classes in a variety of age groups and you can even have a Birthday Party there. They are all across the country and they just opened one in Draper, Utah!!! (the only one in Utah).

FLEURVILLE SALE

Fleurville is having a sale through April 30th on their website. You can use code FVTAX08 to get 20% off everything on their site. The diaper bag pictured "Sling Tote in Pink Ogo" is on sale right now for $85 (before the 20% off). The Sling Tote is normally $150.