thinkbaby Sunscreen Review

I love the sun. I love summer. I love feeling the heat on my skin...I love living in the south! sigh. And, if you know me in real life, you know I hate sunscreen. It's so bad (my hatred for it, that is). I do NOT want my children to grow up with this mentality though! And it's hard. There are two camps. The "you will die from skin cancer if the sun touches your skin" camp, and then there's the "the sun is so good for you" camp. I guess I fall in the middle when it comes to my children (I'm too stubborn to leave the 2nd camp for myself) ;-) I know how important it is to get our Vitamin D from the sun, and blocking that can do damage. But I also feel that too much exposure (mostly at the heat of the day) is not a good thing, and we need to be mindful.

And then, there's all the chemicals included with so many sunscreens/sunblocks. I shudder thinking about it! The thinkbaby website says it best, and reinforces why it is so important to think long and hard about the sunscreen you are choosing for your family: 

The majority of sunscreens currently on the market are full of questionable ingredients and known carcinogens. Simply looking at the ingredients you’ll quickly realize you don’t recognize any of them. Many existing sunscreens have been brought to market with little concern for their safety. Not only do ingredients in sunscreen interact with skin, but data shows after application of lotions, some of the same chemicals can be detected in the bloodstream. Most people wear sunscreen to reduce the chance of developing cancer, so why apply something that could potentially increase this risk?

I've been on a mission over the past few years to find something that was safe for my children, as I strive to teach them about sun safety. I came across thinkbaby sunscreen and they were kind enough to allow me to review their sunscreen! (which is now SPF 50+)

I was hesitant because I know, as with many sunscreens that are more natural, they go on so thick and white, and are hard to rub in - kids don't want to wait for that! While thinkbaby does go on white, it rubs in a lot more quickly than other sunscreens we've tried.

The thinkbaby ingredient list is awesome and totally pronounceable (well the common names are, haha!) -

• Zinc oxide SPF 30+ (non-nano)
• Vegetable glycerin
• Whole leaf aloe vera gel (Aloe barbadensis)
• Avocado oil (Persea gratissmima)
• Wild carrot (Daucus carota)
• Jojoba seed oil (Simmondsia chinensis)
• Olive oil
• L-arginine
• Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
• Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
• Orange peel wax (Citrus aurantium dulcis)
• Beeswax
• Frankincense (Boswellia carteri)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• Cornstarch (Zea mays)
• Carrageenan (sourced from kelp)

For 2012, thinkbaby received a score of 1 on the EWG Sunscreen Guide (lower is better in this case!) and even made the Top Sunscreen List!

There is SO much information about thinkbaby on this one page of their website. I highly encourage you to spend a few minutes reading and learning!

So, my thoughts? It worked really well - I was thoroughly impressed! I didn't really know what to expect (I did expect it to work, haha) but it definitely exceeded my expectations. thinkbaby did a fantastic job of protecting the skin of my little guys. 

• My oldest has very fair skin (is it mean to call him pale?) ;-) And usually burns - no matter the sunscreen we try, but has so far stayed burn-free this spring (here in NC, we've had warm/hot weather for months). We tried it at the beach this past weekend, and again, I was really impressed. His shoulders did get burnt really bad, but I realized (after the fact) that I didn't put thinkbaby there - he was wearing a t-shirt and I got his chest/back/face, just missed his shoulders...opps!
• My middle son has my skin and just tans ;-) 
• And my youngest has fairer skin, but very sensitive skin, and I was pleased that thinkbaby didn't cause him to break out into a rash, or irritate his skin in any way!

For me, I love that thinkbaby doesn't really have a scent (I don't like when things smell and they don't need to!) For thinkbaby, that tells me that the only things in it, are things that are needed - nothing extra - and I like (and appreciate) that!

We are looking forward to enjoying the rest of this summer (and future summers!) protecting our skin with thinkbaby!

What about you - have you made the switch to a more natural sunscreen? What are your thoughts, especially if you've tried thinkbaby?

You can find thinkbaby on the following social networks:
thinkbaby on Facebook
thinkbaby on Twitter

Disclaimer: I received 1 bottle of thinkbaby sunscreen in exchange for this review. All opinions are honest and my own. You may have a different experience.

Friday Four!

Happy Friday Ya'll!

Fun for the kiddos: With the weather getting downright HOT this weekend - these sponge balls are sure to be a hit!  I have made a set for us (easy!) - now we just need to head outside and get wet!

Recipe to try:  Jello Cake is one of our FAVORITE foods of the summer.  We make it for EVERY picnic/BBQ/pool party that we go too! =)  The only difference from this recipe and mine, is that I don't add 1/2 c. cold water to the jello, just the hot.  Give it a try - it's super easy and refreshing!

Neat decorating idea: It's Memorial Day weekend!  Have any special plans?  We found a really neat idea last year that we'll be doing again this year - lawn stars!  They are fun and easy:  Cut a star shape out of some cardboard.

Use a water bottle to spray the star with water:

Use a sifter to sift flour onto the wet grass:

Repeat as many times as you wish!  We heard lots of positive comments as people were walking to watch the fire works. =)

Cloth diaper related: Two weeks ago (I have no idea where last week went - sorry!), I showed you the Bummis Stretch Bamboozle diaper.  We still LOVE it!  No leaks!  Here was the fun part about that shopping adventure...bumGenius had just announced their new deal - buy two Flip covers and get one free!  This has worked beautifully over our Bamboozles.  It seems that most retailers are offering this deal - so if you're in need of some covers - check them out!

Enjoy the long weekend!  -Joy

Chelory All In One Diaper

Chelory

If you have not heard of Chelory, you will not want to miss this! I was given the wonderful opportunity to review the NEW stay dry AIO diaper that Rachel, at Chelory, will be releasing in early June. I have fallen in love with this diaper and hope that I can score more during her special stocking times. Stockings occur on her Hyena Cart page and is announced on the Chelory facebook page 24 hours in advance. At this time, there is a limit of two diapers per day.


A little bit about the new stay dry AIO. This diaper looks a lot like a BGE (which are one of my personal favs) but absorbs so much more (need I say NEW FAV!!). The outer printed material is poly PUL. This specific print is called Sound Waves-gorgeous!! The inner materials are bamboo and zorb. This was the first time that I have used any zorb and I am extremely impressed. We used this diaper quite a few times overnight and had no leaking issues at all. And finally the stay dry layer is a wicking jersy. The entire diaper is so super swishy!

Here is another pic of the inner. You can see it has two layers sewn together at the ends. This creates that extra oomph of absorbancy. When it comes to drying time, it is relatively quick for its thickness. You just flip the sewn in middle around the back of the printed side and hang to dry. It won't dry as quick as a pocket but it will still be pretty reasonable. You can also throw it in the dryer on a lower heat setting.


Something that my husband is (actually) picky about when it comes to diapers is the waist snaps. He loves that it has a double row of snaps along the waist. This works best for us and we love that you can snap the top snap in one spot closer than the bottom snap if needed.

This is a one size diaper so it will fit from teeny tiny to rough and tumble toddler-hood. There are three rise adjustments to accommodate any size baby. I also love that there are three rows of rise adjustments as well. That is nice so you don't get that droopy middle section which always cracks me up with my Easy Fits.

All snapped up! I love this print!

Ready! Set! Action! This diaper goes a lot of places when it is on Kynlie's bum. Usually it goes pretty quickly because she is such a monkey! She knew Mommy wanted pictures so she is trying to get away! This is a super trim diaper considering all the layers for absorption.

As you can see, lots of movement and wiggling around, yet we never had any leaks-ever. I like to give the diaper the test of strength and I had Kynlie wear this for a long time. She wore it for 5 hours while we were out shopping. I was just in such a rush with toting around the other two with her that it just didn't cross my mind to change her! (And I felt bad about it until I finally changed her and realized she didn't leak AT ALL!! Then I only felt a little bad because I like to change her about every two hours.) Go Chelory!!

This diaper has a good snug fit around the bottom and around the legs. It stayed in place, no sagging, drooping or gapping at all. Kynlie is a pretty petite baby and doesn't always fit into diapers that well. This was an amazing fit for her. I can also imagine that it would fit a chunky baby as well because of the snap options that there are.

There is a good fit around the leg, both on top and bottom. The top has a bit of stretch so that it can be snapped snuggly at the waist and the bottom has elastic to completely cover the bum. We never had any red marks on the legs either.

Here is a picture of the side/front. It fits well around the tummy and we had no gapping there either. And it was really trim around the bum and front. There is also elastic along the back to ensure a snug and secure fit as well.

This diaper has become the fist diaper that I reach for as soon as it comes off the line!

Kynlie-where is your belly? Right here above this awesome diaper!


A Bit more about Chelory:

In addition to selling this new AIO, Chelory also sells an AIO that is a cotton fleece/bamboo diaper, as well as an AI2, wool diapers, leg warmers and several different styles of inserts.

Chelory also offers a 15 day Wash & Wear Money Back Guarantee to the original purchaser. If you're unhappy with your purchase, ship it back for a full refund. Although I highly doubt you'll need to use it!

My overview:

I was extremely excited when Rachel wanted me to review her new Stay Dry AIO and I am even more excited to get to share it with you. I absolutely love this diaper. I fully intend to be at my computer striking the F5 key waiting for the stocking to go live. I must own more of these!! You will not be disappointed in anything from Chelory. Here is a link to Chelory's store policy-one of the best I have seen from any WAHMs.
I highly recommend the new Chelory SD AIO.


Chelory's next stocking day has been announced early! It will be June 6th. Here is a post from facebook: "Next week's stocking on WEDNESDAY June 6th at 9:00pm Eastern is going to be a bit.....different. There will be a total of 75 diapers, of which 64 (YES! SIXTY FOUR!) will be All-In-Ones! 32 Chelory Organic AIOs will be available in both Snap and H&L Closures and 32 Chelory SD AIOs will be available in both Snap and H&L Closures."

You can check out which prints will stock here.

Let me know if you have any Chelory diapers and if you score one during the stocking day. Post some pictures on our facebook!

ENTER TO WIN!

Rachel is generously giving away a SD AIO diaper in Sound Waves (just like mine) to one lucky follower! Fill out the form below for your chance to win!

Here are some links you may need:
CDA facebook
Chelory facebook
Chelory website

Cat in the Hat Party!

I think I'm getting addicted to planning kids' parties ;) I wonder if there is a market for this sort of thing? Haha! 

My oldest son turned 5 in April, and he had the hardest time deciding what kind of party he wanted. Originally, it was The Lorax (and I had a bajillion ideas!) and then he wanted Transformers (thanks, Daddy!) and then a fireman party...finally about 3 weeks before his birthday, we had a sit down and made him decide...

Cat in the Hat it was!

Thanks to Pinterest, I had no problem coming up with a ton of ideas (and pinning ones that I found in random searches). 

We had Thing 1 and Thing 2 cupcakes:

 

I used red velvet cake mix, red foil liners, vanilla icing and blue cotton candy. A friend printed "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" up for me and I used a paper punch to get perfect circles and then I used a black sharpie to outline the circles (to give a layered feel).

A close up of the tags…

My hubby slaved over the Cat in the Hat cups:

 

(we couldn’t find white electrical tape, which is what I envisioned, so Zach cut strips of white duct tape in half and stuck them on cups. No matter if your cups are circular or square, this will be a battle to the end, so be prepared)  

Grandma acquired some paper Cat in the Hat hats from a fellow teacher for the kids and it was a huge hit!

Keaton, his best friend Jimmy, and 2/3 of his cousins, Karlie and Karis.

I made this super fun wreath (we intend to use it for all birthday celebrations from here on out!)

 

 a 12″ straw wreath, a TON of balloons  (approximately 300) and a ton of floral pins (and about 45 mins!)

We also strung a balloon banner this time:

 

Zach blew up the balloons and then threaded them with sewing thread and hung across our kitchen! Such a fun touch – they’re still up, a month later!

Blue and Red table cloths and red plates/napkins rounded out the color scheme.

My husband and brother-in-law led a super fun game. Half the kids were "cat" and the other half "fish". EVERYone was "cat in the hat". When you heard "cat", you had to switch spots with other "cat" people. When you heard "fish", you had to switch with other "fish" people. And when you heard "cat in the hat" - chaos ensued ;) Everyone had to switch spots. The kids were laughing so hard, and the parents were worn out! ;)

It was a HUGE hit with the pre-school crowd and Keaton LOVED it so much!

Happy 5th birthday my big boy!!!!!

Mom 4 Life

I love finding websites that have a little bit of everything. Shortly after becoming a mom myself in 2007, I happened upon Mom 4 Life. I was floored by the product selection, but blown away that every thing was invented by moms! How cool is that?! Mom 4 Life is amazing in many other ways as well:

 

How incredible, right?!

I remember Mom 4 Life being one of the first sites where I started to look at cloth diapers, and they still have a great selection, along with accessories, including BabyLegs, detergent, wipes, sprayers, and more!

Mom 4 Life isn't just for the cloth diapering mom either! They offer so much more to help you along in your parenting journey. For the breastfeeding mom, they have LilyPadz and Hooter Hiders, WubbaNubs for some extra comfort for baby, and, if you're looking to get back to your pre-baby shape, Mom 4 Life sells the Belly Bandit as well!

A little something for everyone!

Stop by today and see what you can find that could help you as a mom, and help a mom in need as well!

Disclaimer: In return for sharing product links, I was compensated with a pair of BabyLegs. All opinions, though, are honest and my own.