Get Ready For Giveaways!

MomMostTraveled.com is hosting a giveaway carnival that will begin on Monday, May 4.
This is to fill the void left by the recent cancellation of the Bloggy Giveaways carnival!
There is still some time for you to prepare a sweet giveaway to draw traffic to your blog!
Go check out the Give It Away Now! carnival details, and get ready for a fun week of giveaways galore!

Trying New Things...with Food

Not everyone will have the chance to travel to China, but you might have a place to get some authentic Chinese cuisine within just a few miles of your home. Culture, food, and language are so intertwined; I find it difficult to learn about one aspect of a country without gaining a bit of understanding about the other two. Visiting “ethnic” restaurants with your children is a wonderful, hands-on way to teach them about the world. “Foreign” food might seem threatening or scary, but there is always something to be found that will appeal to the least adventurous of taste buds. The Kids Most Traveled have enjoyed Chinese, Filipino, French, Japanese, Indian, Italian, Kenyan, Lao, Mexican, Peruvian, Turkish, Thai, and Vietnamese food at restaurants owned and run by proud natives. I’ve never been to Canada, but I have been to a Canadian bakery. Consider me cultured!

Webisode 4 follows the Mom Most Traveled family on a visit to an authentic Chinese restaurant. These dishes are similar to what you would find in the north eastern part of China. These restaurant owners are from Liaoning.

I welcome your feed back. What should we eat next?

CanCan is a world traveling Mama of two! CanCan recently partied with elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She shares her family travel tips, enlightening webisodes, and amazing product reviews and giveaways at www.MomMostTraveled.com.

What Should I Look for in a Double Stroller?

When I found out I was pregnant with my second my daughter was 12 months old, and I knew I needed to find a good double stroller, there was no way I was going to be able to live without one. So, for the next 7 months I researched double strollers until I found one that I felt would fit my lifestyle. So, which one did I finally go with? The Phil and Ted's Sport with Doubles Kit. I like it, and have used the heck out of it, but not every stroller fits every family, so here are some things you should ask yourself before buying a double stroller.

* What is the age difference between my kids?

If you have a smaller age gap between your kids (say 2 under 2) you will need to make sure the stroller you get is good for at least a couple of years and is comfortable for both kiddos. Look for seats that adjust separately, sunshades that adjust separately, and things like that. If your kids are more spread out, you might want to look for a double stroller more in lines of a sit n stand. Your older kiddo probably won't want to always be in the stroller and so you will probably really only need a double stroller for long trips (if this is the case invest in a single stroller for the new baby).


* Where do I live and what am I going to be using the stroller for?

If you live in a city and do a lot of traveling on public transportation like the metro, etc, you are going to want a light weight double that is front to back. There is nothing more embarrassing than not being able to get your stroller through the door of a store or cafe or into the elevator in the metro (but air filled tires are a REALLY good idea for city dwellers!). If you don't live in a bigger city and you are going to be using your stroller a lot, it doesn't really matter if you get a front to back or a side by side, but you will want to look for air filled tires (makes the ride smoother) and you are also going to want to look for shocks if you are going to be using the stroller on rough terrain.


* Are my kids attached? Will the like sitting next to each other or in front and behind each other?

Some kids don't like sitting next to their brother or sister, and they tend to fight. If this is true getting a side by side isn't the best idea. If you have twins or two kiddos who really like seeing each other and being able to touch each other, a front to back is probably not the best idea. My girls like to see and play with each other, they are always near each other. I have both a side to side and a front to back. When they are in the front to back there is a lot of whining, twisting, and "I want to see Evie". But, where they are in the side by side they play, share food, and keep each other occupied.


So here are some of my stroller suggestions:

* EasyWalker Duo- a side by side, great wheels and shocks, fully adjustable seats and canopies, roomy, easy to maneuver. I HIGHLY recommend this!

* Phil and Ted's Sport with Doubles Kit- a front to back, convertible from single stroller to double, easy to use, comfortable.

* Joovy Sit n Stand- a sit n stand type stroller, good for larger gaps between children.

How can I keep all of my children's books organized?

This is a great question. Reading to your child is such an important activity. It is a great time for bonding, it's educational and instills a valuable habit in your child's life from a young age. But, books can become clutter very easily. What is a parent to do?

~Organize books by category. In our home for instance, the reference books and books related to my business are kept in the office. The books we read as a family have a home in the family room and the books my kids like to read are on a bookshelf in their bedrooms.

~When children are small, the books for their age are typically more durable and can be kept with their other toys. However, you can begin instilling a respect for books even at a young age by having a special shelf or place just for books. This gets children in the habit of putting books away in a safe place right from the start.

~Resist the temptation to own every book you like to read. Sort down to your favorites and the most useful and most read. Then visit the library, used book stores, book swaps, etc. to get new reading material frequently that does not end up needing a home in your home! My old mom's group used to have regular book swaps where we could all trade in the books our kids had grown tired of for titles we hadn't read yet. Books your children have outgrown can be donated to thrift stores, daycares and women's shelters.

Happy reading!

Written by Melissa, Multi-Tasking Mama

Featured Blog: One Stop Boy Shop Blog

Check out One Stop Boy Shop blog where it's all about the boys!

Parenting Tip: No muss, no fuss at bedtime makes great sleepers. I've never rocked my babies to sleep (I rock them any and all other times though!), I don't read bedtime stories (I read ANY other time, and at least 6 books to them per day, they LOVE books) and I put my boys to bed while they're awake. I'm frequently complimented on how easy my kids are to go to bed. I attribute that to 2 things: I have good sleepers and 2: No muss no fuss!

Blogging Tip: Blog about what you know and what you love. Stories that inspire you will come easily. I often just jot thoughts down as "drafts" so that I can remember what inspired me and then I come back and edit them before posting them. I also blog about my dream store "One Stop Boy Shop" which I'm working hard to make a reality. As a mom to 3 boys who has discovered first hand how difficult it is to find cute boy items my dream is to offer these things from my store where I can keep the quality high and the price low. I like having a place to let my customers know about sales, and new products that doesn't spam their inbox.

Baby Kids' Thoughts: Now that we've added a boy to our family, I can understand the need for a place all boy since there really is a lot of girlie stuff out there. We've also reviewed One Shop Boy Shop (the shop) on Cool Baby Kid...check it out.

Earth Day Extravaganza Eco-Friendly Giveaways

Dexter's Super Savvy Mommy is having an Earth Day Extravaganza I don't want any Ask Baby Kid readers to miss. She's giving away thousands of dollars in prizes during the month of April with new ones every day! This is a blog party definitely worth checking out. A review blog on the rise, Dexter's Super Savvy Mommy is just that. Here's a sneak peek at some of the prizes coming up in the next week...



April 2-Eden Fantasys-Glass Toy
April 3-Sprig Toys-Whole Sprig Hollow Set
April 4-Ruby Pinwheels (2) $100 gift certificates and an Erbaorganics Travel Kit
April 5-Kid Basix (3) Safe Sippy Cups
April 6-Bobux-Soft Soled Shoes
April 7-Laura's Lean Beef $25 Gift Certificate
April 8-Sage Creek Organics-3 pack of organic washcloths