Wordless Wednesday: My Babywearing Baby

Your Wish Is My Command!

Some of you crazy stalkers have expressed pure and utter desperation a tad bit of eagerness at earning some extra entries into the ERGObaby giveaway. So.... I figured I had better offer some extra entries before people started mailing me their panties or whatever other freaky ways they could come up with to try and sway me.

1. For 15 extra entries, you can sign up under my referral link for Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a free search engine you can use to surf the web, but also earn yourself freebies! I turn in all my Swagbucks for either Amazon gift cards or Pay Pal gift cards. In fact, we used our Amazon giftcards to buy a new Macbook for my 30th Birthday, and I got a Motorola Droid at Christmas with them! Check out my SB Post about how it works. **Please note** When you sign up, it takes a day or so for your name to show on my referral list. Email me (MeganMK@cox.net) to let me know you signed up under me with your full name. When you show on my list, I'll email you back, and you can take your entries!

2. For 5 extra entries, you may send an email to your friends, family, etc. linking them to this giveaway and letting them know that they could enter to win an Ergo. You must copy me on this email, so I know it was done. My email is MeganMK@cox.net

Things I Never Thought I'd Say

As Chunky Monkey gets older (read: crazily daring, adventurous and just plain funny) I am finding myself often spouting things off that I never, ever thought I'd be saying. While I'm sure every parent can relate, I'd love to share some of my recent winners.

1. Yes. Yes you may wear your zhu zhu pet hamster ball on your head as a hat while we go to Wal Mart. 
2. No! We do NOT beat the doggie with our horsey on a stick. OR that wooden crate.
3. I don't think it's a good plan to put edamame up your nose.
4. I'm sorry you are sad, but when you try to ride the dog, she WILL buck you off.
5. What are you doing with those shot glasses?? Where did you get those? Oh, they are plastic? Ok, you can have 'em. 

How about you? What weird, random things have you found yourself saying (or screaming. I know how that goes) since that little bundle of joy joined the family?

ERGObaby Carrier Review and Giveaway!

Ahhhh, another babywearing post. It's been too long. It's funny, the older Chunky Monkey gets, the more I want to wear him! Sniffle. He's getting too grown up! Luckily, ERGObaby has us covered!

The folks over at ERGO were kind enough to send us an organic chocolate ERGObaby carrier to review. Let me tell you what, before I could even get my hands on it, Tom snatched that bad boy up, and claimed it as his own! This carrier is DEFINITELY Daddy friendly!

I first want to share a few of the organic ERGO specs, so you can see what this carrier is all about:

• 100% organic cotton with 100% organic cotton sateen lining and hood
• 100% cotton batting in body of carrier to soften edges
• One inch, high density foam in shoulder straps
• Quarter inch high density neoprene foam in waist belt
• High Quality buckles tested by SGS
• Waist belt circumference from 25" to 43"
• Fits from 5' to 6.5' body height with adjustable shoulder and chest straps
• Sleeping hood with elastic, adjusts in length for growth of baby
• High quality webbing, matched to carrier color
• Reinforced stitching used at all fabric intersections
• Interior rip-stop reinforcements at critical intersections
• Durability/strength tested up to 90 pounds
• Machine washable - cold, gentle cycles, mild detergent, no bleach. Dry in low heat

As all my pretty little stalkers readers know, Chunky Monkey is NOT petite. He is a rip roarin' 31 pounds of solid chunky goodness. While we loooove babywearing in this house, it MUST be a good, sturdy and comfortable carrier. ERGObaby fits that bill! The organic cotton is extremely soft. I've felt a regular ERGO and the organic is much more soft and squishy. The carrier is very simple to use. While it can be used for front carries, we mainly use back carries because of C's size. I am happy to report that our ERGObaby makes him feel pretty darn weightless! 

Daddy & Monkey! Excuse the wonky arm. He ALWAYS puts it out like that!

The waist of the ERGObaby is nice and padded, and very comfortable. It really helps to distribute the weight, and is very comfy. It's very simple to adjust from person to person, too. The shoulder straps are also padded and very comfortable, and there is a chest clip that helps keep them in place. One of my favorite features of the ERGO is that is has a fairly tall body, which is great when you have a Jolly Green Giant for a toddler. As you can see, C fits in it very well. There is also a sleep hood, which can be used for discreet nursing, or to support the head if your little one falls asleep. When it's not being used, it can be tucked away into the pocket! Very handy!

Looking cozy and sleepy!

We have used the ERGObaby carrier at home, and out and about as well. We have been extremely happy with it's comfort and durability. My good friend Sarah even used it with her 37lb 3 year old at the zoo for a few hours, and thought it was very comfy, too! And if you have a newborn, there is an infant insert so that you can use your ERGObaby from day one. So this one carrier can get you from birth through toddlerhood! 

Daddy and C dancing!

A few other things that are great to know about ERGObaby? Check out this handy tidbits:

Consider purchasing a Gently Used ERGObaby Carrier. These are available in a
constantly changing supply, and are at a considerable discount! To learn
more, call our Customer Service Assistants on weekdays between 8am and 4pm
Hawaiian Standard Time, at 888-416-4888.

You can also get some great deals on new, Gently Used, and factory sample
ERGObaby products on our auction page, which is updated frequently. Check it
out here:
http://www.ergobabycarriers.com/babycarriers/category/auction/

Finally, become an ERGObaby affiliate, in our RIO program. By placing our
link on your blog, website, or even in your email signature, you can earn
commission every time someone purchases an ERGObaby product through your
link! For details, click here:
http://www.ergobaby.com/community/

So, what do you think? Are you sold? Duh, of course you are! So, head on over to ERGObaby and snap one up! Tell 'em Megan sent you! Or if you are feeling lucky, you could try to win one! That's right! The fine folks over at ERGObaby are offering one of my readers a chance to win their very own carrier!!

Ways to Enter:

• Head over to ERGO and look around. Tell me what your favorite carrier is. This entry is MANDATORY.
• Follow my blog, through the link on the left. This is MANDATORY. If you are not following, you will not win.
• Subscribe to my blog through email! Don't forget to verify it!
• Become a fan of ERGObaby on Facebook
• Follow ERGO on Twitter
• Follow me on Twitter, link to the left!
• Tweet (2x daily, 4 hours apart minimum) this giveaway. Include a link to the post. Leave the link
• Become a fan of NWNB on FB
• Grab my button! Leave a link to where it's displayed
• Blog this giveaway. Leave a link to this post.

Fine Print: Thoughts in this review are completely my own. While we were supplied with an ERGO carrier, we were not asked to say anything specific in this review, other than our true opinion of the carrier. Contest runs until 8/6/10. If your email is not connected through your google account, please leave a way for me to contact you. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected. 

How Life With A Toddler Is Like A Frat Party

**Edited to Add** My husband originally sent an email to me with a top 10 list of why life with a toddler was like a frat party. He thought it was funny (it is! It's hysterical!), and suggested I do something similar, but more to what our life is like with a toddler, and I did. I have since been contacted by Suburban Snapshots, who originally wrote the post. (At least, I think. I googled it, and the list shows up on a BAZILLION sites, and I am not going through all of them to track it down!) I'm not familiar with the blog, have never read it, and don't follow it, so I did NOT know that it was somebody else's blog post. I did NOT intend to take somebody else's work, I truly just thought it was another FWD joke being passed around. So, I apologize to Suburban Snapshots, and if you'd like to see her post, please head over there. I would however, appreciate the snarky comments from her readers coming to an end. I made an honest mistake, admit it, and have no problem giving credit where credit is due. Had I known it was hers originally, I would have stated that.




1. There is CONSTANTLY somebody in the house in various stages of undress. Topless, bottomless, both. It varies from day to day.

2.  Somebody can often be found randomly passed out in the middle of the floor.

3.  You are routinely tripping over plastic cups.

4. It's not at all shocking to find random things in the toilet.

5. Also not shocking to find some sort of bodily function in a puddle on the floor.

6. Play dates kick it up a notch. There is one random girl crying in the corner, while some half naked show off jumps off of something.

7. It's much better for everyone involved if you don't question what the stains on the couch are.

8. Going to the bathroom is a group event

9. You find random stains on the wall, and while you can't identify what they are or how they got there, you aren't at all surprised.

10. If you don't keep a handle on things, the cops are probably going to get called.

Fremont Days Parade

Despite having what I lovingly call "stroke face", I've been trying to keep busy. And by that, I mean that due to issues with my vision and constant dizziness thanks to the Bell's Palsy, I can no longer drive. So when the weekend hits, I threaten Tom with bodily harm if we don't leave the house. So last weekend we hit up the water park, which is our favorite summer haunt. I don't have any pics, because it's a hassle to bring my camera. It was fun, though! We went with my friends Crissy and Missy (when I type or say that, I feel like they are the Doublemint twins), and their kiddos and hubbies. It was a fun day.

On Sunday we decided to head back to Fremont (where the water park is located, about a half hour from our house) and check our Fremont Days. Basically it's the towns summer celebration. Parade, rodeo, pony rides, etc. We got there about a half hour before the parade started. We loaded C up in our new Quinny Zapp stroller (courtesy of Franklin Goose!), and headed off to find a spot to watch.

The parade was... eh. It was cool to see how proud the town was of the people serving in the Armed Forces. That part I really liked. The rest of it was ok. Nothing super exciting. C was WAY more interested in running around on the grass and flirting with any ladies who would look his way. There was one crowning glory in the parade, though. I'm sad I didn't get a picture, but I was laughing too hard. It was a taxidermy float, complete with stuffed deer and wildlife. That alone is not that shocking. We ARE in the midwest. People hunt here. But the part that made my whole weekend? The bevy of bikini clad bimbos sitting atop the animals and float. CAMOFLAUGE bikinis. Hi-freaking-larious!!!

I did take a schload of pics of our favorite fella, so without further adieu, here they are!

Here is stroke face captured. Much harder to tell with sunglasses on.

The Savvy (potty mouth) Parent

 Every parent has a potty mouth moment, right? I was watching the below video, and was reminded of C's first f-bomb. First, check out the video. I laughed the whole way through it!



I can so totally relate to that Mom!! Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Both the hubs and I have been known to occasionally (read: more often than Lindsay Lohan go through lawyers), even when C is around. Though these days, we do try to curb it, since he is a little parrot, and likes to repeat everything. You really just NEVER know when they are listening to you.

Case in point: We were all over at my parents house having dinner one evening. Dinner was pretty much over, but we were all sitting around chatting. C was sitting on Tom's lap, chattering away in his own little language. My sister in law stopped by to pick something up, and she sate down at the table for a minute to talk. C seemed VERY excited to see her, and was leaning around Tom, looking at her. All of a sudden, clear as day, he looked and her and said "Fuck!"

Dead. Silence. .......Until, we all started cracking up! He was SO excited by what he had just said! In fact, he said it again! I really thought somebody was going to fall out of their chair, we were laughing so hard. Apparently something about Amanda brings out the profanity in Chunky Monkey!

That was pretty much the extent of our reaction. We didn't make a big deal out of it, didn't tell him no, we just kind of ignored it. I should note that the rest of the evening he was yelling huck, buck and duck, so I think he was just really babbling. We figured if we didn't make a big deal out of it, he wouldn't, either.

I do have to say, the Evenflo video made me smile. I'm sure some will find it offensive, but I think it's real, and hilarious. What do you think?

Evenflo has just released the Momentum 65 DLX Convertible Car Seat, with features that help make safety, installation and use as easy as possible for parents.  Evenflo and JuiceBoxJungle sponsored me to write this post.