Bath Time Fun!

Bath time is an every night event in our house.  Rowen is a sweaty, sunscreen covered mess when she gets home from daycare, but that’s ok because luckily she loves being in the tub!  If Rowen had her way, she’d spend her entire day there and would only get out due to the "weird wrinkles" on her hands and feet!  

Below are our favorite products at bath time, check it out...

1// Munchkin Spout Guard – Rowen loves elephants, so this is a big hit in the tub.  My favorite part is filling the trunk to make bubbles! 

2// Bath Crayons – These are awesome!   They come in vibrant colors, and are easy to clean up!

3// Pottery Barn Kids’ Bath Wraps – Soft towel with hood, cute designs, great quality

4// Munchkin Letters – Letters that stick to the sides of the tub when wet!  Lots of fun!

5// Safety 1^st Bath Toy Bag – Great for toy storage, suctions to the corner of the tub

6// Munchkin Shampoo Rinser – Been using this since Rowen was an infant!  Soft plastic and holds a lot of water.

7// Disney Princess Bubble Bath – Smells great, good price, makes a ton of bubbles!

8// Johnson's Baby - I want to stop here a minute and talk about the hair products we've been using for the past few weeks.  Earlier in the month, I was sent (complementary) the following Johnson's Baby "No More Tangles" line of baby products to try!    

Leave in Conditioner: Since Rowen's hair has grown quite a bit in length over the past few months, she's often seen sporting little ponytails!  They're super cute, but at the same time, I'm reluctant to put her hair up due to the pain those those tiny, pesky ponytail bands cause when trying the take them out.  Not anymore though!  The other night I discovered that if I apply a tiny squirt of the leave-in conditioner around the ponytail holder (while still in her hair), I can just slip it right off...no pain whatsoever!  This product is great for dry or wet hair and smells awesome!  Hooray for ponytails all day long!

Shampoo & Conditioner: We've also been using the Johnson's Baby shampoo and conditioner combo, which leaves Rowen's hair feeling super soft after bath! A little bit goes a very long way as it lathers well and smells wonderful, too!  

Detangling Spray: Out of the three products I was given to try, the detangling spray was the one I was most excited for, and that's probably because my mom used it on me as a kid!  Over the past few months, Rowen's hair has really started to curl in the back, and we've noticed that brushing it out after her bath is not as easy as it used to be. Now that we have the detangling spray though, we simply just spray a couple squirts onto her hair and comb though...easy as pie!  No tears, no complaining - just clean smelling, neatly brushed hair!  Happy kid = happy mom!

That being said, if you have a little one at home I would definitely recommended these three products!  Two thumbs up from me!

Disclaimer: "I received these products complimentary from Influenster for review purposes.  Although the products were free, my opinions are all my own."

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Fun at the Iowa State Fair

August in Iowa means one thing and one thing only...the Iowa State Fair!

The Iowa State Fair is an annual fair held in Des Moines over an 11 day period and just so happens to be one of the largest state fairs in the country and is on the list of 1000 places to see before you die...pretty cool!

I've been going to the fair every year since I was a kid and I knew that I wanted Rowen to have the same experience, so this past Saturday morning we grabbed the diaper bag, loaded the stroller in the car and headed out!

The first thing we did upon arrival was hightail it to the first corn dog stand we could find! You see, the Iowa State fair is famous for its plethora of deep fried goodness on a stick and I was not about to miss out...

Thank goodness I ran six miles earlier that morning because I downed two of these puppies in just a matter of minutes...so good!

Rowen even got in on the action.  At first, she wasn't quite sure what to think, but once had it figured out, she went straight to town...

...like mother like daughter, I guess!

After our bellies were full we headed to see everything the Iowa State Fair has to offer including...

A visit to see the animals...

A quick peek at the biggest bull you'll ever see...

A stroll through the Midway....

A trip through the Agriculture Building to see some award winning produce...

and a ride on the Sky Glider...

Two hours and a lot of walking later, we made a pit stop for THESE bad boys...Fried Oreos!  Enough said, right?

And finally, no trip to the Iowa Sate Fair would be complete without a visit to the Butter Cow!  Yes, I said butter cow - a life-size cow carved out of butter, you'd be a fool to miss it!

Five and a half hours later my legs had had enough walking, but it was totally worth it!  If you're one of those people who have never been to Iowa and think that all the state has to offer is corn, you're dead wrong! The Iowa State Fair brings in people from all over the country and is a great way to spend time with family!  I highly recommend you add it to you're bucket list, you'll be glad you did! 

Toddler Diaper Bag

I have quite a few friends and co-workers expecting babies in the next few months, many of whom have asked the question, “What do you carry around in you daughter’s diaper bag?”  So, today I thought it would be fun to share it...

The bag we use isn't a true diaper bag - instead it’s a small backpack.  When Rowen was younger I carried a legit diaper bag, but now that she is older and needs less stuff, we've moved to something smaller.  The idea is that she will eventually take it with her to preschool, but for now it functions as a diaper bag and holds just enough to get us through a day of errands, a play date, or a family outing!  

Here is a quick list of what’s in this adorable little bag:

Diapers - Huge Up & Up fan 

 Antibacterial Hand Wipes - Always.

Extra Outfit - You just never know

Flushable Wipes - Easy peasy

Sun Screen - A summer must

Disposable Bibs - Love them

Take 'N Toss Sippy Cup - Best cups ever

Take 'N Toss Fork and Spoon - Who cares if you accidentally leave it at the restaurant

Disposable Placemats - No more nasty table germs

Snacks - GoGo SqueeZ are a favorite in our house

Book - Rowen is a book worm

 Crayola Play Pack - Perfect for on the go entertainment 

What's the best part about this bag you ask?  How about the fact that Rowen loves to carry it, which means I don't have to! :)

Meet the Sullivans

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Summer Staycation

Two weeks ago, Ryan and I took a week long "stay-cation" and it was marvelous!  As a mom who works full-time, I don’t get to do a lot of the fun things stay-at-home moms get to do with their kids in the summer.  So, it was my plan to become tourists of our own city and jam pack the week with fun things we could do as a family!

Local Wading Pool:  

The week started off warm so we decided to kick things off with a trip to the local wading pool!  This particular zero depth pool is a popular hangout for toddlers in our city and just so happened to be the perfect spot for Rowen to practice her most recent obsession, swimming like a mermaid...so funny!  We arrived right as the pool opened, let Rowen swim for a bit then took a break and had a picnic lunch.  Such a fun way to spend a warm summer day!

Science Center:  

Next up on the list was the Science Center!  The City of Des Moines has some great educational opportunities for kids, and the Science Center is definitely one of them.  I was a bit worried that Rowen was too young to get the full experience, but I was wrong.  There was a designated area for kids her age, which she loved, and we even got to hang out with Elmo and the rest of the Sesame Street gang in the planetarium! For me, the best part of the entire visit was watching her figure out how each "science station" worked and seeing her interact with the other kids that were there!

Backyard Pool Day:

One of the gifts we gave Rowen for her birthday was a large, inflatable pool.  Rowen will take any chance she can get to swim, but sometimes it’s inconvenient to pack everyone up and head to the local pool.  Instead, we made our own fun in the backyard!

Natural Playscape:

Jester Park's Natural Playscape was the top "must see" item on my list for the week.  I'd heard a lot of good things about this park and decided I just had to see it!  The playscape is located inside Jester Park, a large state park, not too far from our house.  

Before I go into detail, I will warn you that the park is a bit tricky to find as it's sort of hidden at the back end of the park.  If you go, be sure to follow the signs as they direct you though the windy roads within the park and give yourself plenty of extra time! 

The information I had read about the playscape said it was designed for kids five years and older, but I would disagree.  Rowen is only two and had an absolute blast.  There are tons of things to keep a child younger than five entertained.  

• Archaeological Dig – A large sand pit filled with natural toys to dig with.

• Tree Tunnels – Gravel paths take you through the park and along the way you'll find hollowed out trees to crawl through

• Water play -  The park has a pool of water at the center, with a few small water features.   If you come to the park, be prepared for your child to get wet!  I would recommend bringing a change of clothes and water shoes.  The water was freezing, but Rowen loved it!

• Log Stairs - Small logs line a hill to create a climbing feature.  Going up was easy, going down was a bit more challenging - so neat!

• Bison Bluff -   One of the best things about this playscape was the company it keeps.  There are Bison roaming the area right next to the park!  Who knew!

That was our staycation in nutshell!  It was wonderful spending so much quality time together.  Ryan and I enjoyed our week so much that we agreed to try to do it every summer for the foreseeable future!