Scout Goes Stainless
Sunday, August 31, 2008
I've had a stainless steel water container for several months now. I prefer it over plastic for many reasons. I don't have to worry about BPA (Bisphenol-A) leaching into what I'm drinking and I also don't have the problem of my water taking on the flavor of plastic or the plastic taking on the smell of whatever I'm drinking. (I have a weird compulsive habit of smelling cups before I use them and if they have any kind of odor at all, I will not drink out of them) I feel like I can get the stainless and nice and clean and odorless. Most of the time, plastic cups smell like dish washing detergent to me and that totally skeeves me out. In case you were wondering, I own the New Wave Enviro 1-liter stainless steel bottle (word of advice - ditch the sport lid and go for the stainless loop cap) and I'm pretty happy with it. DH recently shopped around around for a stainless steel container for himself and ended up buying a 40 oz Klean Kanteen, which he seems to enjoy.
I've noticed that Scout's favorite sippy cups often take on the smell of our dish washing detergent and it makes me feel bad that she has to drink out of them when they smell like that. (even though she probably doesn't notice and I'm the only one who even cares) She loves her Nuby Mega-Sippers. I feel pretty good about them because they are BPA-free, but they are plastic, nonetheless. So, I decided that she deserves to drink from an odorless non-leaching cup just like DH and I do.
I've read lots of positive reviews about the Thermos Foogo cups and also the Klean Kanteen cup w/ the sippy spout. I decided to go with the Foogo Straw Bottle because I HATE HATE HATE the "Magic Spout" on Avent sippy cups (they leak like crazy!) and that's what the Klean Kanteen cup comes with, unfortunately. Scout loves to drink from a straw, so I figured she'd prefer the straw bottle instead of the sippy spout anyway.
I purchased Scout's Foogo Straw Bottle from a store called Lil' Tulip's because they offer free shipping to the US! (I noticed that the Foogo Straw Bottle is sold out right now, but I bet if you contact them, they might be able to let you know when it becomes available again) My experience with them was great. It was easy to order and shipping was lightning fast.
Back to the cup itself. When we got it in the mail, I couldn't wait to try it out. I washed it right away and filled it with some ice water flavored with a little bit of apple juice for Scout. She took to it right away because (like most toddlers) she is obsessed with pressing buttons. "Beep!", she said as she pressed the button that releases the flip top. She was so excited when the lid flipped open to reveal a little silicone straw, just the right size for her. She took a sip of her ice cold beverage and seemed pleased.
Pros:
- 12 oz size is perfect for my 16.5 month old toddler. The bottle is a little big, but she doesn't seem to mind toting it around. I think that the 7 oz Foogo Sippy Cup would've been way too small for her. She's a thirsty girl!
- Keeps drinks cold for up to 12 hours. It really does.
- Seems durable. We've only had ours for a couple weeks, but it has withstood several drops on the concrete during stroller rides around the neighborhood and there is not a ding or a scratch on it.
- Does not leak AT ALL when the lid is closed.
- Top-rack dishwasher safe (but instructions say for "best results" hand washing is recommended) I have been hand washing mine just because I don't want any parts to fly down off the rack and melt on the heating element in the bottom of our dishwasher. But I guess it's nice to know if I really want to stick it in the dishwasher, I can.
- Because it's stainless, it does not hold odor and does not leach chemicals. Score!
Cons:
- Does leak if turned COMPLETELY upside down with the lid open. This has not been much of a problem for us, though. If Scout forgets to close the lid and leaves it laying around, it usually just ends up on its side and I haven't noticed any leaks at all when it is flat on its side.
- At $15-$17, it is pretty pricey for a sippy cup. But since it is a straw cup that holds enough liquid for even a large toddler, I am counting on Scout being able to use it for at least a couple years. I could see even a 5-year-old using a cup like this for travel because it has the appearance of a sport bottle rather than a sippy cup.
- If you are not fond of washing cups with little parts and crevices, this is not for you. But since I am already used to washing sippy cups with straws and little silicone spouts, it doesn't bother me a bit.
- Wish it came in more colors. It would be nice to have gender neutral options like orange, yellow, or green so Scout could share her cup with any future children that may join the Unkempt family. Although, I suppose I don't really mind if we have a boy someday and he ends up using Scout's pink Foogo bottle.
I'll definitely update my review after we've used it for a while, but for now, I give the Foogo Straw Bottle an A-
Labels: baby gear, product reviews
posted by Unkempt Mommy @ 8:42 AM,
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Today
Saturday, August 30, 2008
How many times have I clicked the "New Post" button on my Blogger dashboard and then never actually finished writing a post? (or worse, never even started typing a post) Oh, I dunno. A million? I have so many things going on in my head, that I can't decide what to post about. The first post after a long writing hiatus overwhelms me and I just end up walking away. I am a loser.
Maybe instead of writing an update on Scout's developmental milestones and yada yada, I'll just tell you about my day. It's nothing monumental or special. Just a normal day....
Scout woke up at almost 9:00 AM, which is 2 hours later than usual. For the last week or so, her nap and bedtime schedule has consistently been about 2 hour off for some reason. Meh. Whatchya gonna do. I didn't hear her get up. Matt went to the bathroom and saw her standing at the baby gate that we use to trap her in her bedroom. Sometimes she just stands there and talks to the dog or plays in her room before letting us know she's awake. Other times, she cries for us (and we immediately go get her, of course). It just depends on her mood, I guess. I love being woken up by a squealing, revved-up toddler being plopped down on top of me from above. That sounded sarcastic, but it's really not. I do love it. She crawled all over me while smiling and giggling and seemed so happy to see me. I love that. I asked if she would like to nurse and she did her little maniacal chuckle she does when you ask her if she wants something and the answer is 'yes'. I laid there for 15 minutes, drifting in and out of sleep (and so did she) while she nursed. Then she popped up and started clapping her hands and reaching for me. That meant she wanted me to get up, pick her up, and get out of bed. Enough of this laying here and cuddling stuff. It's time to get up and get moving! (and never stop)
I obliged, but I told her that I needed to potty BAD and asked her to stand in the bathroom with me while I peed. Half the time she cries when I put her down for that straight-outta-bed 1st pee of the morning, but she didn't this morning. She was too busy pointing at the dog and waving to her. I wonder if she's ever noticed that the dog never waves back.
She ran out of the bathroom when I was done and went to find DH. (DH has been home from work for a couple weeks because of some health issues) He was right where she thought he'd be - at his computer desk. They said hi to eachother and I'm sure she sat on his lap while frantically grabbing for pens and chapstick and computer parts on his desk. I don't quite remember the details, but I'm sure she probably grabbed for something that she's not supposed to have and we probably had to tell her not to while redirecting her and she probably had a meltdown of epic proportions, going limp and screaming like we're hurting her. Ya know, because that's what she does these days.
Maybe I should skip over a few things, since I'm not even to breakfast yet and I've already written a novel. Long story short, we went out to breakfast, shopped at a local thrift store, played outside A LOT, and Scout took a 1.5 hour nap. More tantrums ensued in there somewhere, I'm sure. But there were probably even more moments of affection, impressive learning feats, and sheer cuteness to balance it all out. We had hamburgers and a spinach salad for lunch. (or I guess it was more like dinner...at 4:00) Scout's favorite part of the meal was the wheat toast and fruit. She spit out the only bite she took of the meat.
Some friends who hadn't seen Scout since she was tiny came over and they just ate her up. They brought her some wonderful books and played with her in the floor and had a grand time. I love it when people actually get down in the floor and interact with kids when they're visiting. I mean, REALLY interact. Scout was shy at first but warmed up very quickly. She grabbed one of our friends' hand and led her to the door that leads to our garage. She pointed to the door nob and motioned like she was turning it. I thought that it was cute for her to show our friend how to turn the door nob! She took our friend out to the garage and gave her a little "tour", pointing to things and jibber-jabbering. I think it's great that our guest played along. Scout led her back into the house and back into the living room to play. After our friends left, we went outside to play again.
I'm sure you see a theme here. We PLAYED all day. I didn't do any laundry or cleaning or anything. Not a whole lot of productiveness. Just hanging out with my little girl. That's not really my typical day. There are usually lots more chores. Bleh. But Saturdays around here are pretty lazy.
We never ate a real dinner. Scout just snacked on some cow's milk, a Wasa cracker, some raisins (she LOVES raisins like her friend, Bailey) , avocado, a little bit of peanut butter, and provolone cheese. I had a popcicle, a salad with lentils, and a bowl of the Wal-Mart version of Special K Red Berries. I think it's called Strawberry Morning. That name cracks me up for some reason. I have no idea why, but for some reason it brought to my mind that old SNL commercial for Colon Blow. Hee hee hee. Colon Blow. I think DH had some crackers w/ peanut butter and an apple. I was a bad suzie-homemaker today.
Scout played the drums with DH for a while and then looked at her new books. Between the books we found at the thrift store after breakfast, and the books our friends brought, she ended up with 12 new books today! My favorite part of reading to Scout is that she says "Mee-Ummmm!" every time she closes a book. She says it in the exact tone of voice I use when I say "The End!" at the end of a story. It's adorable.
I gave Scout a bath before bed and she had a blast. She filled her giant plastic cup under the faucet about a million times and probably would've stood there and done it all night, had I not finally turned the water off. We listened to bluegrass music on NPR and splashed and had a great time. Funny thing about Scout - she won't actually sit down in the bath water. She stands or squats the whole time. I don't know what that's all about. I've tried to get her to sit, but she flat out refuses. I asked her tonight if she wanted to "sit down on her bottom" while I did the sign for "sit", and she shook her head "no" and was very serious about it. I guess I see no reason to make her sit. I just think it's a little odd that she only wants to stand. Meh.
Almost every time I get her out of the tub and have her wrapped up in a towel while I'm holding her, she lays her head on my shoulder and wraps her arms around me and smiles this GIGANTIC smile into the mirror. I smile back at her, and she smiles even bigger. It is by far the BEST part of being a mom. I live for moments like that.
Afterward, she streaked down the hall in all her freshly-bathed glory so she could tell daddy "Nigh-nigh" and give him a kiss. There aren't many things in this life sweeter than that. I love her little nekkie bottom.
I nursed her to sleep and was able to slip out of her bedroom within just a few minutes. I pulled the door almost closed and put the baby gate up. Time to do it all again tomorrow. Only tomorrow, I'd better do a couple loads of laundry or we'll be wearing dirty clothes next week.
Labels: baby sleep, being sappy, blog talk, dh, family, health, pics of scout, scout talking
posted by Unkempt Mommy @ 9:52 PM,
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Must. Not. Lose. That. Tune.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
This is more of a reminder for my own benefit than it is a blog post, but I really REALLY need to find a way to record myself singing. Not because I think I am oh-so great and love to hear my own recorded voice (Is there anyone on earth who doesn't hate the sound of their own voice on tape?) , but because I have been writing songs lately and need a way to keep from forgetting things I write. Melodies and ideas for songs pop into my head at the most inopportune times and if I get busy doing something else, I lose the tune or the timing of the words....which really sucks. Earlier, one of Scout's noisy toys started playing Yankee Doodle while I was humming a bare-bones chorus to a song-in-progress and it nearly made me forget what I was doing. Once I got the guitar out, (which had horrible sounding strings from being neglected in the corner for too long, by the way) figured out what key I was singing in, wrote the lyrics down, and played the song over and over, I was less worried about forgetting it. But still. A way to record things on the fly would be awesome. I used to own a little hand-held recorder in college and I have no clue what happened to it.
Here's one of the only pictures in existence (or maybe THE only one) of me with my guitar. Too bad I look like a goofball.
Labels: music
posted by Unkempt Mommy @ 1:53 PM,
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