My Favorite Strollers

Bob Duallie 12"Double Stroller

With a new baby and a toddler I need a double stroller.  For months I debated front and back or side by side.  In the end I stuck with the BOB, which is what I have now and got a Duallie Side by Side. The Bob Stroller with regular wheels is slightly cheaper, but I like the smaller size of the 12" and since I don't really use it for jogging I don't need the bigger wheels.   I just love how The BOB maneuvers, at first I thought it would be too heavy, but it's really easy to use and my husband loves it too.

But if you want to use it for your baby you need the infant car seat adapter which also allows you to add a snack tray for your toddler which comes with it.

Inglesina Umbrella Stroller

This is the stroller I use for quick trips, travel and when I was pregnant and couldn't lift the Bob out of the car.  It's inexpensive, lightweight, and it reclines slightly.  I debated between this and Maclaren, but in the end I'm glad I went with Inglesina, especially with the recall.

Graco Snap n Go Stroller

This is what I used for my son until about 5 months and now my daughter when they can sit up in a regular stroller.  I just snap in my Graco Snugride Car Seat and I'm all set.

How to Induce Labor Naturally

L

Happy New Year! So I finally had my baby-4 days late, which isn’t that long, but since it was my second baby and I was expecting her to come early, everyday got more and more frustrating. Texts and e-mails-"Any baby yet?" No, not yet! I didn’t want to induce and my doctor had scheduled one that week depending on how my tests went as far as amniotic fluid levels and size. So I was feeling the pressure. Everything looked okay so far there was no reason yet to start the pitocin. I started searching for ways to induce naturally. The most common suggestions are of course walking, sex, spicy foods, etc. Here's a link for more suggestions. I was really big and heavy and my back was hurting, but I walked and walked. This is me at the zoo three days before I finally gave birth. I was getting contractions and thought today is the day. People were looking at me funny. Then nothing-it was false labor, but a few days later I gave birth to healthy 9 lb. 8oz. girl. Yikes!
Acupressure points video 
I don’t know if any of these methods actually worked. But the night before I went into labor I did acupressure massage, self visualization, and danced with my husband for an hour.  So if you are waiting like I was and getting frustrated you might want to give it a try. Can't hurt.  For my birth story checkout my blog "A Nurse Delivered My Baby" on MomLogic. 

Nursery to Transportation Toddler Room

Now that my son's crib was passed down to his baby sister, what do I do with him?  He had outgrown his turquoise and mocha beach theme nursery and was ready for a "sort of" big kid room. But since he is only 19 months he's not ready for a toddler room yet and I'm not ready for him to crawl out of bed on his  own -so that meant another crib.

So I decided to get a convertible crib in espresso-Baby's Dream Serenity. So soon it will convert to toddler bed and then with new rails a twin bed. Then instead of a changing table I bought a dresser.

For all his toys I needed storage. I love this 6-Cube Bookcase
in espresso filled with canvas storage bins and metal buckets all from The Land of Nod to pull all the colors together.

As a tribute to his love of trucks and trains I went with a transportation theme. What is it with boys and thier choo choo's ? He can't get enough.  Notice how I left a few of his white nursery items behind-so what if they don't match. It allowed me to leave a few of his baby things in the room.

I like to keep things simple, being pregnant I didn't want a whole remodel so I went with decals and art to change up the room and central theme colors of red and blue to go with the dark wood.

                                                               TheseTransportation Decals

are great, they are inexpensive, look good and peel right off like stickers and you can reuse them over and over in different locations.  I put them on the door, used them to dress up his trash can, and even made art work out of them. I just took some canvas painted them blue and red and put a decal on them.

I used canvas storage bins, a lamp, curtains, and personalized chair and other Land of Nod accessories to pull all the colors together.  He also loves his
transportation rug. For more nursery and room decorating ideas check out Project Nursery.

Cherry Blossom Nursery

This is basically my son's old white crib-now accented with pink for my new baby girl. I wanted the room to be feminine, but not over the top pink so I went with pink with mocha accents. My walls are already a subtle golden cream so instead of painting I went with a Cherry Blossom Wall Decal. The Ivory Bowron Sheepskin Shorn Baby Rug  adds a cozy feel. I used mix n match separates for the crib. The bumper and diaper holder are Pottery Barn Petals, the sheet is organic pink and the skirt is a subtle pink stripe from KidsLine. In the corner if you look closely I also added a little Hello Kitty trashcan for fun.



White Wall Flowers
also add a breezy beautiful touch. They come with tacks you can nail into the wall, but I used removable wall putty instead because I didn't want holes in the wall.



For the wall art I just framed beautiful design paper I bought from Michael's.



I also got a new video monitor. It even comes in pink! 

Summer Infant Day & Night Handheld Color Video Monitor 1.8 It's the same one I got when my son was born. It's been great for almost 2 years and now with an extra camera and monitor I can used it to see both rooms because there is an A and B channel.

Giveaway: Janey Mac Press Wall Decals

My baby girl is due any day now and the nursery is pretty much done. I wanted the new nursery to look nice and stylish, but with my 19th month old son keeping me busy, I wanted decorating to be simple. So I used wall decals. It's perfect- no paint no nails. I decided to go with a Cherry Blossom theme and found the perfect decals on Janey MacPress. They go on easy, look great and are removable. It comes with instructions and even a practice decal. At first, I wasn't sure how it would turn out and didn't put it up for weeks, but once I did I was happy with the result.

Using it as the centerpiece for the room...I went with Pink and Mocha as the main colors. She has dozens of designs and colors.

Now you can try wall decals out too with TZM's holiday giveaway.
These are Lynette's latest creations-Safari Themed Decals (Value $40) Shown in brown, prize in black.



To enter and win:
1. Subscribe to The Zen Mom and let us know you are a subscriber with a comment.
2. Visit Janey Macpress and comment back with your thoughts.
3. Follow The ZenMom on Twitter, tweet about it and comment.
Contest ends December 21, 2009 11:59 PST

Next time I'll feature the whole nursery and show you how I converted my son's nursery into a toddler room.
Contest closed

Holiday Giveaway: Mommy Pads and More

With baby #2 on the way in a few weeks I'm starting to get anxious about all the things I need to get done. And with the holidays there's a lot to prep for besides baby. Gifts, cards, decorations. The internet is my best friend and I order everything online, especially Holiday Cards, which are shipped right to my door.. Another way I save time is by using a return address stamp.


As a Holiday Bonus our friends at Mommy Pads and More are offering a free personalized address stamp and note pad ($50 value) to one lucky TZM reader!

Check out Susie's creations they are creative, fun, and perfect for the fam or for gifts.
How to enter:

1. Subscribe to The Zen Mom and let us know you are a subscriber with a comment.
2. Visit Mommy Pads and more! and comment back with your thoughts.
3. Follow The ZenMom on Twitter, tweet about it and comment.
Contest ends December 18th, 2009 11:59pm PST

Also save 15% on all orders with the code ZEN. Happy Holidays!

CONTEST CLOSED

Angela

Last Minute Holiday Cards

Make a Smilebox greeting

Since I'm due any day now, I'm not sending out formal holiday cards this year. I will probably send out Happy New Year cards with photos of my new addition so they will be like birth announcements too. But if you're in a pinch and want to send out some Holiday photo greetings fast, try Smilebox! I love the site! Free ecards include your photos and videos, plus your own music. It's perfect for holiday e-cards, or if you want to send out photo scrapbooks and montages fast and no stamps involved. I've also used it for Halloween, birthdays, and other parties where I wanted to share special moments. If you use it a lot it's also worth it to become a member. Here's a sample of what I did last holiday. I'm still working on this years. :)