My Favorite Things

Oprah has a "My Favorite Things" show every once in a while where she gives away one of all of her favorite things to every member of her studio audience. That would be a fun day to be in her audience although I don't think it would ever be me because I don't really care for Oprah that much. I probably wouldn't ever go see a live taping of her show.  But, I do have my own favorite things!!!

I was thinking about this topic this morning when I was getting D up from his bed. I unzipped his sleep sack and thought, "this is just the greatest thing!" So, that thought is now becoming a blog post!

Number one on my list is of course, my Halo Sleep Sack. I used one of the sleep sacks that comes with a swaddle wrap as well when D was a newborn and sill loved to be swaddled. It was a life saver since it held together with velcro so he couldn't "break free" and get all upset. Plus I felt confident that it wasn't going to come unwrapped and get all over his head and face and suffocate him. The big sleep sack that I currently use zips up the front and has plenty of room for him to kick and move all around. It is essentially a wearable blanket and is the only blanket I would even think of using for my baby. I take every precaution to reduce the SIDS risk...and this is a biggy! Speaking of that...I always keep a small desk size fan going in D's room when he sleeps. This supposedly further reduces the SIDS risk by up to 70% (or so said my PARENTS magazine) - something about the air continually moving  in the room reduces the risk!

Another one of my favorite things would be the combination of my 4 cup coffee maker/ Folgers Chocolate Silk coffee and liquid carmel chocolate creamer. I can make just enough coffee for myself and it tastes like a caffeinated dessert every morning with the added chocolate flavors. Yum!

My newest favorite thing is of course my cloth diapers. I have several different ones but so far, my favorites are my GroBaby and my SposoEasy diapers. Check out the links from the words if you want to see what they look like.  I am loving every minute of these things and am so excited about not having to buy nearly as many disposables diapers (I will probably still use them here and there so I do expect to buy some over the next couple years).

Way up on the list of favorite things would be my Chrysler Town and Country minivan. I never thought I'd want a minivan but honestly, this is the best purchase we have ever made! I know most young people say they'll never have one, but my advice to people starting a family and looking for the best family vehicle is to just go look at one and weigh the options. Think about how easy it is to walk between the seats...how nice it is to slide open the door to get the carseat out (in a crowded parking lot where someone is parked waytoclose to you, it is IMPOSSIBLE to open a SUV door wide enough to get the infant carrier out...trust me...we have an SUV too!). Also think about how wonderful it is the just fold the seats down, pop them out, or flip them into the floor when you are trying to pack and travel with the million things you "need."

I have more favorite things than I thought apparently. 

I also LOVE all Carter's clothes for my kids. I am not a name-brand-junkie for my kids but I truly believe no other brand is made as well, holds up as well, and fits as well at Carters does. My kids have all sorts of different clothes that were purchased at all different retailers (from Wal-Mart and Target to Gap and Gymboree), and with very few exceptions, their Carters stuff is always my favorite! If you get the chance to go to a Carter's store, my advice is to go and stock up! The stores are always marking their stuff down and is just about always on some big sale because they are constantly getting new stuff in. I love to shop at the Carter's store near my parents house. I have to get a sitter for my kids so I can spend some serious time there planning and arranging as many outfits as possible for the least amount of money :-)

Hmm, 2 other things that I use daily and love every time I use them are my kids' car seats. C has a Britax Marathon in a cute pink and yellow floral print in one car and a Graco Nautilus (her's is pink) in the other. D has a Britax Boulevard in one car and his Graco Safeseat Infant seat (his is a very nice grey and green) in the other. I don't think I could pick a favorite. They are all wonderful and my kids always travel happily and seem comfortable. I would reccomend these seats to everyone!

This is getting much longer than I had expected, so I suppose I'll cut it off. Apparently I have a lot of things that I use everyday that I love! Yay for great products that are easy to use and promote safety for my family :-)