Free Magazine for Families

I subscribed to Thriving Family magazine about a year ago and really enjoy it. It's a FREE, bi-monthly magazine put out by Focus on the Family and has relevant articles to help your marriage and parenting.

According to their website, every issue includes:

Inspiring, encouraging and entertaining articles and stories

Practical advice on marriage and parenting

Helpful tools for teaching faith concepts to your children

Parenting tips for every age and stage

• Trusted insights about marriage and parenting
• Guides to navigating the world of entertainment
• And much more...

Focus on the Family also has a monthly magazine for kids, ages 3-7, called Clubhouse Jr. I bought a subscription to it around Christmas for Jacob and his 2 cousins. It's $19.99/year, but they had a special running around Christmas where you could get it for $15 if you were with MOPS. Jacob likes it, and there is also one for older kids. Check them out!
\

Crazy 8: My New Favorite Store

I went to the mall yesterday in search of some new pants, but nothing in my "pre-Lucas" size fit or even came close. I decided to not buy the next size and was pretty upset with myself, but on my way out, I walked by a new children's clothing store, Crazy 8.

Love their stuff!! Their prices and sales are comparable, I'd say, to Children's Place. I bought these matching outfits for Jacob and Lucas this summer.  The eyes on the shirt are "googly eyes", and they're cuter in person. Don't know how they'll wash, but at $4.99 each for the shorts and shirts,  I thought they were a good deal. I could have spent a lot more, but not having a job (paying one, anyway), I had to restrain myself!

Five Most Unuseful Baby Products

I've gone through most of Jacob's baby things to get ready for Lucas's arrival in about 5 weeks, and there are a few things I never used for Jacob and probably still won't again. So, having gone through it once, here's my personal list of most unuseful baby products.

1. Pee Pee Teepees: cloth cone-like things used for catching boys' run-a-way squirts during diaper changing. Cute idea and name, but not really practical. This was a gift, but I never used it.

2. Baby robes: I almost bought one of these as a shower gift before I became a mom because I thought it was really cute. I was given one as a gift and never used it. After all, who let's their baby hang out in a robe after their bath? You just dry them off and put them in a sleeper.

3. Crib quilts: I bought the cutest safari crib quilt and matching bumper set for Jacob. Then I read that blankets and bumpers were safety hazards that could cause the baby to suffocate. And, the bumper is a real nuisance to remove in the middle of the night when the baby pees and you have to change the sheet. So, they went into the closet, and I never used them. I actually tried to hang the quilt on the wall one time for decoration, but it kept falling off (the stickies weren't strong enough to hold it), and I never found a rod to hang it on.

4. Baby shoes for ones who aren't walking: I was given a few pair of shoes as parts of outfits, and Jacob never wore them. I can see where you might want to buy shoes for a girl to wear with a fancy dress, but otherwise, what's the point?

5. Baby oil and powder: I got a couple packages with the whole set of Johnson and Johnson body wash/lotion/oil/powder. I never used the oil or the powder.  They tell you not to put a bunch of extra "stuff" on a baby's skin, so I just used the basic body wash and lotion. I came across a couple bottles of the oil and powder when I was cleaning out Jacob's things. I actually tried the oil on my dry skin the next day, and it turned red, so I'll probably throw it in the trash.

Best Baby Gift Ever

When I was pregnant with Jacob, one of the most useful gifts I got was a Baby Briefcase. I'm thinking about buying myself another one for the next baby. Yeah, a plain accordian binder would do the same thing, but this one comes with pre-labeled folders and is just plain cute. It's a plastic "briefcase" with labeled file folders, along with a few blank ones. We threw everything in it for Jacob--medical records, cards, photos, etc--and most of it's still there. When I ordered one a couple months ago for a relative, it was around $30, and I could only find it through their website.