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Going Reviews and My Mother’s Day Gift: Casting Keepsakes Clay Print and Photo Kit

Well hello and Happy Mother’s Day to all of you kind, caring, and loving mothers out there!

I hope you’re being treated to kind words and smiles from your children along with everything you really want for your day. I sure hope Going Mom wasn’t expecting diamonds; that would be a disappointment.

Plus, with my annual salary of zero dollars as a stay-at-home dad, I don’t think I could find a really good diamond. Unlesssssss, I found a really good diamond. Hmm….

Anyway, not happening, but I have something I think the both of us prefer over materialistic items; our daughter’s impressions! Lori from Casting Keepsakes was kind enough to send one of their air-dry clay and photo kits for me to review and give to Kelley for Mother’s Day.

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This is an exciting day in our house since it’s the first official Mother’s Day we are celebrating. Last year we celebrated since Kelley was pregnant with Avery, but it means so much more now that she’s actually here!

Kelley’s love for Avery radiates through her every day, non-stop, and she is and always will be the best mother she can be. And what’s more, she’s a wonderful wife who always fills me with love and happiness!

Avery is 6 months this month, and to capture imprints of her tiny hands and a feet is a must. Casting Keepsakes provides everything you need to roll the clay out and make impressions of your precious child. A simple task that took a total of 30 minutes for a gift that will last forever!

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The hardest part was getting Avery’s handprint without her making a fist in the clay, but once we got passed that part, the rest was fairly easy. I sat Avery in her Mama’s & Papas booster chair for the foot imprint and finished within minutes.

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One area where I goofed was choosing a picture for the middle. I spent forever going through my portfolio of Avery pictures (every parent has one, right?) and finally ordered several prints. The problem? They were all landscape when I needed to use a portrait orientation!

I think Homer Simpson says it best; “Doh!”

Thankfully, I did order one portrait orientation, and although it’s not what I originally planned, it’s still an adorable pic.

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This is the photo I planned on using; mother and daughter together.

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But that’s my issue and I am completely happy with the kit from Casting Keepsakes. Check out their website to see more great items to capture your child’s current size before they grow up! They even offer belly casting kits and baby ink kits if you don’t want to deal with clay. They even have an Amazon store to purchase their items and read more reviews.

I can’t thank Casting Keepsakes enough for sending me what I think is the perfect gift for any loving mother and I know Kelley will enjoy looking at these tiny prints for years to come.

6 months captured and framed.
6 months captured and framed.

If you’re wondering if I forgot about my mom (G-Ma), I didn’t, but I won’t see her until later today and can’t disclose what I got her before giving it to her. Where’s the fun in that? But I will say, Mom, I love you very much and can’t express how much I appreciate all you’ve done and still do. You deserve the world, but all I could give you is a globe; Happy Mother’s Day!

For all who care, I’ll share pictures of her gift in an upcoming post. There’s also more to Going Mom’s gift that I can’t let her know about yet, but I’ll tell you soon enough.

Kelley did get treated to one of her favorite snacks that I make for her, goat cheez-its! I’ll share the recipe eventually, I promise.

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I wrote a separate review that I sent to Casting Keepsakes a few days ago, and you can see it below.

Hi there! I’m a stay-at-home dad to one beautiful girl, Avery, who was born in November 2013. She means the world to my wife and I, and I try my best to capture her in photos every day. It was a very long and hard journey for us to have our darling girl and we will never take having her for granted.

When Casting Keepsakes sent me their No Bake Clay Print and Photo Kit, I was a little hesitant at first for fear that I’d mess it up. I wanted to make this a Mother’s Day gift for my wife since Avery will be right at 6 months in May. Since I know my wife misses her so much when at work, I wanted to give her something more to go along with the countless pictures I take.

The kit arrived well packaged and everything appeared to be of high quality. Thankfully, the clay was not as hard to work with as I had imagined and it easily rolled out into the frame space provided with the included rolling pin. I was unsure how well my baby would co-operate, but she did great! It helps that the clay is soft enough so you don’t have to mash the baby’s hand and foot really hard to make an impression.

The entire process form kneading and rolling out the clay to making the impressions only took a total of 30 minute. Not bad for something that is priceless to any parent; capturing your baby’s tiny prints before they grow up and move out!

I’m not one to purchase lavish gifts for my wife and she doesn’t enjoy them anyway. Plus, as a stay-at-home parent, it’s not like I’m raking in the dough! The Casting Keepsake’s clay print and photo kit is the best quality and inexpensive gift I can think of for a loving mother, and I’m happy I have one to give to my wife on Mother’s Day. Thank you, Casting Keepsakes!

What are your thoughts on clay prints as gifts or just to capture little hands and feet before they grow too much?

What’s the best Mother’s Day gift to give/get in your opinion?

Going Review and a Giveaway: Unwrapping the Swaddle with a Zipadee-Zip

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At first, we thought Avery hated being swaddled and we were reluctant to use one on her. But, we eventually grew desperate and gave the traditional swaddle a try and she surprisingly slept almost all night! For a while, it helped contain her crazy arms so they wouldn’t distract her from sleep, but then her strength became too much to contain her beastly baby arms.

I don't know how these arms got out, I swear!
I don’t know how these arms got out, I swear!

Like most desperate parents, we went in search for a solution on the internet. Sometimes, the internet just overwhelms you with other parents’ opinions and you end up more confused than you were at the start; this was one of those times. After a lot of back and forth, we ordered a sleep sack called the Woombie. It had great reviews (like everything else), so why not give it a shot?

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Nope, no good. Once in it, her arms could still go right to her face where she would try to eat them. Then, taking advice from the internet again, I first wrapped her arms securely beside her with a long piece of cloth. Success! Avery’s arms were kept safely at her side and she was sleeping mostly through the night in her crib.

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But, babies grow, and they become more active by rolling over. Before Avery learned to roll over, a friend of ours asked if we heard of the Zipadee-Zip which is made to transition out of swaddling. I wasn’t aware of the Zipadee-Zip (Zippy for short), but wanted to learn more.

The Zipadee-Zip was born when Stephanie and her husband Brett struggled to find a way to get their daughter to sleep without a swaddle. Stephanie created the first Zippy on her sewing machine at home, and after successfully getting her daughter to sleep in it, she and her husband built a website to market their new product. Stephanie sewed each order herself with true passion and care which explains how their small Texas business has grown all from word of mouth by happy customers.

Initially, I expected something that kept the arms a little more contained, but then that would defeat the purpose of allowing them to roll themselves over. The Zipadee-Zip is made to provide your baby with the feeling of being enclosed, like a swaddle, but allowing for full range of movement to roll around as they please.

Check out this video to see how easy it is to use the Zipadee-Zip:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cS5KMso3UE?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Here are a few reasons why the Zipadee-Zip is loved by many:

  • It’s easier to put on than PJ’s
  • Keeps little hands and feet warm all through the night
  • Prevents babies from scratching their face and startling themselves awake
  • Makes late night diaper changes a cinch
  • The perfect transition after outgrowing the swaddling blanket
  • The ideal wearable blanket
  • Encourages sounder, cozier sleep
  • The breathable fabric but enclosed design makes it perfect for both hot and cold weather

To learn more on the Zippy and view testimonials, just visit their website and Facebook page.

I promptly wrote Stephanie about having the chance to review the Zipadee-Zip for my blog, and she kindly agreed to send us two. I was so excited when she agreed, I couldn’t wait to tell Kelley the great news! Remember when I first mentioned them in this post?

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Although she wasn’t rolling over yet, I was eager to try it out during one of her daytime naps. I zipped her up and laid her down for an afternoon nap in which she accepted fairly easily; a little too easy.

My arms are free!!
My arms are free!!

That lasted 30 minutes. Not a big deal since her afternoon naps are always short anyway. For a while, we stuck with the sleep sack and arm wrap for nighttime and I would use the Zippy during her morning naps. Avery started to get used to having her Zippy and would sleep a good 3 hours in the morning on most days. Now it was time for the big test; nighttime!

I'm a star.......fish!
I’m a star…….fish!

The first few tries were not very successful and Avery wound up in bed with us earlier than usual. We stopped using it for a few days, but she still had issues with sleep, so maybe it wasn’t the Zippy.Then, Avery finally started rolling over and we knew we needed to use the Zippy for all of her sleep times!

I was worried on how the first night would go, but surprisingly, she slept great! We have been using the Zippy ever since, and although some nights are better than others, we have peace of mind knowing she can safely roll all over the crib. And she makes certain to use every inch of space in that thing!

Ahhh, the freedom to sleep however I want!!
Ahhh, the freedom to sleep however I want!!

When putting her in the swaddle, Avery would cry before, during, and after the wrap, but with the Zippy, she’s more content. Hmmm, I guess babies like to have freedom to move around too!

Shhhhh, don't let everyone know our secret!
Shhhhh, don’t let everyone know our secret!

Another plus is that your baby goes from already adorable to super adorable in this starfish-shaped wearable sleep blanket! I even took Avery out for a run in the stroller, and walk in our Onya Baby Carrier while wearing her Zippy, so don’t limit it to the crib!

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Going Mom and I both love the Zippy and the sleep it has provided for Avery as well as ourselves, and we know our baby is safe while wearing it. Avery seems pretty happy and comfortable with her Zippy too….

Sleeping while daddy works out in the garage
Sleeping while daddy works out in the garage

The Zippy makes you want to just hug and squeeze your adorable baby forever, but don’t do that, squeezing is bad. I can only think of one suggestion to improve the Zippy; adding a second zipper at the bottom. This would allow for diaper changes in the middle of the night or during a long nap and I feel would be very beneficial.

Zippy approved!
Zippy approved!

Are you ready to get your little one out of a swaddle and into a Zipadee-Zip? Well, Stephanie, being the amiable lady she is, has agreed to let me give one away to a lucky reader! Awesome, huh?!

To enter, just click the Rafflecopter link below and follow the steps to earn entries. The contest ends next Friday, April 11, 2014, and I will announce the winner soon thereafter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our First Day Out in the Onya Outback

As I proclaimed yesterday, I was anxious to get out and give our new Onya Baby Outback carrier a try. What better way to break it in than by going grocery shopping?

I have about 4 or 5 different stores I’ll go to for various food items depending on what we need. The most frequent stores I visit are Costco and Sprouts. I used to go to Central Market (owned by H-E-B) but haven’t made it there as much. Hopefully soon because I love that place! Anyway, today we went to 3 stores; Sprouts, Kroger, and Costco, in that order.

Getting Avery in the Outback from her car seat was not as easy as the Baby Bjorn, but it wasn’t difficult either. Plus, the pros far outweigh the cons as far as comfort and security go.

Heading into the first store!
Heading into the first store!

Avery is still unsure of her new carrier and let me know it by squirming and giving tiny whimpers every now and then. The Outback is made more for babies a little older than Avery, so she has some growing to do. The Baby Booster that Diana sent along with the carrier does help and Avery was better when I had her in it yesterday, but I didn’t take it along for the store trips.

My poker face
My poker face

As you can see, Avery can’t see when in the Outback at her size. This didn’t give her any head room and it was basically stuck in one spot. Eventually, she’ll grow and her head will be poking out like in the photos from Onya’s website.

Ha ha, I had to go pee while there, and as I stood at the urinal, I looked down at Avery and said “It will be better when you’re bigger.” I paused, looked around and luckily no one else was in there, and then I laughed at myself. Oops!

With the Baby Booster, Avery would ideally have her head up higher so she can see out and ultimately be happy. She still fell asleep after a while, but I know it really will be better when she’s bigger.

Almost an hour in Sprouts and now it was time for Kroger. This is where I buy a lot of frozen veggies since they have great prices. It only took 30 minutes here and would’ve been faster if I didn’t have to wait for an old lady return two kinds of lip gloss. Ugh.

Avery didn’t whine too much at Kroger, but I could tell she was getting antsy about something. Then she dug her face into my chest and started eating my shirt. Ahhh, she’s hungry!

Once we arrived at Costco, I offered her the bottle before we went inside and she eagerly accepted.

Really? Pictures even when I'm eating?
Really? Pictures even when I’m eating?

30 minutes later and we were off for the last shopping trip. More fussing ensued followed by falling asleep as I was ready to check out.

Back at home I unloaded the groceries as Avery sat in her swing watching me. I knew she was tired, but it was too late to deal with swaddling her and getting her to sleep, so I did the next best thing…..go for a run.

Strapped in the B.O.B. stroller, we went for a quick 4.5 miles with Abby (our Golden) and Avery got a little nap as a result. Phew, something is better than nothing!

Once Kelley made it home, I strapped Avery in the Onya Outback for the fourth time and we went for a short walk. The weather was beautiful with only a minor chill in the air, and I enjoyed being with my two ladies while taking it all in.

As things were winding down and Avery was about ready for bed, we tried to get her to roll over as she has been the past couple days. But, no, she was exhausted. She would have bouts of crying and then just suck on her hand. Poor girl, we’ll try again tomorrow. Oh yeah, she’s getting shots!

Put me to bed!!!
Put me to bed!!!

Today’s Onya Outback total usage time = 3.5 hours

Notes: Avery definitely has some growing to do before getting really comfortable in the Outback, but the Baby Booster helps a lot. For me, I am way more comfortable wearing the Onya than wearing the Baby Bjorn. No growing tension on my shoulders and Avery doesn’t flop around every time I twist, turn, or bend down. Tomorrow I plan on taking her for an hour long walk and hope to have a good report afterward.