I will discuss what you need and don’t need to bring baby home from the hospital and give my product suggestions for the best products to take your little one from being an infant to toddler!

Join us for a light dinner and talk all about baby gear! I’ll answer your questions and even do a ton of giveaways! As in over $2,000 worth of product giveaways from great companies such as Baby Bjorn, Gunamuna, Britax, Skip Hop, Summer Infant, Innobaby, Bebe au Lait, Boppy, Stokke, Joovy and many more! Car seats, high chairs, strollers and much more! If you are anywhere in the Chicago vicinity, I would love for you to come!

If you’d like to join us, here is all the information about tickets: Baby Gizmo presents Baby Gear Essentials

And if you aren’t in the Chicago area, don’t worry I’m coming to Los Angeles in July or August and hopefully adding more speaking events in the future!

On our recent trip to Beaches Resort in Negril, Jamaica, my daughter had the opportunity to have Abby Cadabby come to our room and she jumped all over it. You’ve never seen a child more excited about Sesame Street characters than her. You knew I couldn’t just sit by and watch. We had to make a video to let all of you experience it with us. If you are planning a trip to any of the Beaches Resorts, we highly recommend that you get this extra service. Your kids will LOVE it! Take a peek at our video to see how it all goes down.

*Disclosure: Thanks to Beaches Resorts for paying for my travel expenses to visit the Negril, Jamaica resort. As always, all thoughts, statements and opinions are my own.

When Baby Gizmo parents said they wanted more double stroller giveaways, we heard you loud and clear. That’s why this week’s Baby Gizmo Giant Weekly Giveaway is the fantastic, brand-new Valco Baby Zee Two stroller.

The Zee Two is a great lighter-weight, easy-to-fold double stroller that is stocked with features and versatility. Two large seats each have independently working features to let each child ride “their way”. Huge, full-coverage canopies, deep reclines, adjustable footrests and secure harnesses to keep your wee one riding comfortably. And that’s not all with the Zee Two. The huge, accessible basket and the easy fold make this a stroller you are going to want!

To read our full review of the Valco Baby Zee Two stroller go here:  Baby Gizmo Valco Baby Zee Two Stroller Review OR you can just watch our video review below…

Yep, we are back to Rafflecopter this week!  A blog comment is the only mandatory entry! Baby Gizmo friends don’t just stick with “mandatory” though, right? We are overachievers and, of course, you’ll want more chances to win! So, there are additional (optional) entries you can get. But let us warn you – make sure you actually do the entries! If you click on “leave a blog comment” on the Rafflecopter widget – make sure you actually leave a blog comment. We check! If you don’t do the actual entry – it doesn’t count! You won’t win. We’ll both be sad.

*You can only do each entry method ONCE (besides the Twitter option which is once per day!) Please do not cheat and enter more than that! Doing each entry method will require a few different blog comments so don’t worry about commenting more than once (or you can just combine all your answers into one comment). Just follow the Rafflecopter directions. Today’s Giveaway STARTS Monday, May 21, 2012 at 12:01am EST and ends on SUNDAY, May 27, 2012 at 11:59pm EST. (Sorry but US residents only!)

*There should be an entry form that appears right below this text.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Annie C.

We decided to do  quick one-day giveaway today just to celebrate that it is Friday. We are giving away a Tommee Tippee Explora Cup Set (that means two!) to one lucky Baby Gizmo reader. This is the great sippy cup (which my son loves!) that we reviewed a week or so ago. Remember, our little testers did the video? Check it out here if you missed it.

Today we are having one of the easiest giveaways ever. One day. One comment. You are entered. Done.

No giveaway entry forms or extra entries or jumping through hoops for this one. Just leave us a comment at the bottom of this post (under “leave a reply) that you would like to win a Tommee Tippee cup. Maybe say something nice about us? Or not?

Giveaway starts NOW and ends at 11:59pm EST tonight (Friday, May 18, 2012). One winner will be chosen with random.org and will receive a set of two Tommee Tippee Explora Sippy Cups. It’s that easy. Oh yeah, we gotta keep this one to US only. Sorry about that.

* I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Tommee Tippee Sippy Cups. I received a Tommee Tippee Explora Sippy Cup product as well as a promotional item as a thanks for my participation.

I wanted to let you know that they are having a huge Memorial Day Sale that has already started. 5 pairs of select BabyLegs for $25!  That is a great deal! BabyLegs leg warmers are usually $12 each so getting them for $5 is a steal. It’s not every color and pattern that they carry but there are quite a few to choose from.

Hurry because the sale ends 5/28/12 and the best patterns always sell out. Just go HERE and use the code “RWB50“.

Who Says There is No Such Thing as A Free Ride?!  Mutsy just announced an awesome stroller promotion:  Stroller BOGO, Buy a Mutsy 4Rider, Get an Easyrider.

We all know most new parents get more than one stroller. One heavy duty, full-featured stroller and another lightweight stroller for quick trips and travel. This is a great opportunity to get two strollers and only pay for one. How often is there a buy one get one free stroller promotion?! Not often.

Here is what you have to do:

1) Go to store.mutsy.com. (You have to buy the strollers through store.mutsy.com ONLY! Yep, not going to work with any other store.)

2) Put both a 4Rider (or 4Rider Light) and an Easyrider in your shopping cart and enter code freerider12 (case-sensitive) on the last page of checkout to receive FREE Easyrider.

FINE PRINT: Both strollers must be purchased at the same time and be shipped to the same address. Does not apply to previous orders. Promotion is valid through store.mutsy.com ONLY. The promotion will run from May 15 through May 31, 2012 and is valid for U.S. residents only.

Each seat on the Zee Two measures 12″ wide, with a 20″ seatback and a measurement of 26″ from seatback to canopy. While our 5-year-old, 43 lb tester isn’t a stroller-rider anymore, he fit in the seat perfectly so that we knew it really did hold up to its weight capacity. The seats sport non-padded, 5-point harnesses with hard-to-do Valco buckles to keep your little ones safely in the seats and the independently, adjustable footrests will keep them comfortable.

Each seat sports a baby bumper bar but there is no parent or baby tray, as well as, no cup holders. We love that the bumper bar is covered in the same fabric (which is removable) as the seat instead of foam. Each seat has an independent, “one touch” Valco strap recline that reclines each seat to any position with one hand including a deep recline for newborns.

The Zee Two is very well-endowed in the basket area. The basket is huge and can easily fit an extra large diaper bag and additional baby essentials.

Since each rider will definitely have their own personality, we love that the canopies are independent. One child can be fully covered while the other can enjoy the sunshine. The Zee Two’s canopies are sturdy and rounded for more headroom and sport a mesh peek-a-boo window with cover on the back of each. At first glance, the canopies aren’t huge until you realize it is the fabulous Valco EXpanda hood that zips open to reveal another whole canopy panel for full sun coverage.

The one-piece handlebar isn’t adjustable and measures 40″ from ground to where you place your hands. While it is perfect for the average mom (at about 5″4), if you are super-duper tall, you might want to check it out first. Our dad tester at just under 6″ handled the stroller just fine though.

The maneuverability on this double stroller is fabulous! Once you push it, you’ll know what we are talking about. It glides along and you can even maneuver it with one hand with two small children aboard. The 7″ front and 9″ rear hard rubber, tubeless tires are great on smooth surfaces and you’ll never have to worry about a puncture or a flat with these. You can tackle your typical kid all-terrain (grass, playground mulch, small rocks) with the Zee Two if you lock the front wheels straight. We also love the flip-flop friendly, one-touch brake system to lock the stroller into place.

The Zee Two has a very easy, two-handed fold. (See our video review on how to do it.) There is an manual lock on the side to keep the stroller closed during transport. You knew we had to say it, we’d love to see an automatic lock. Boy, we are predictable, aren’t we?!?

Weighing in at just under 27 lbs, this full-featured, double won’t break your back to get it in and out of your trunk. All the wheels pop right off if you want an even more compact package or if a good wheel cleaning is necessary.

The Zee Two takes the Valco Baby Hitch Hiker (riding board) for an older child to hop on for a ride and an infant car seat adapter (for the Graco, Maxi Cosi, Peg Perego, Chicco infant car seat) to make it a travel system. It’s important to know that it only takes one infant car seat at a time.

The Zee Two is available in three colors: Sapphire (tan with blue accents), Jet (black) and Blue Opal (blue with tan accents). The Zee Two retails for $499.

Overall, the Zee Two is a great lighter-weight, easy-to-fold double stroller that is stocked with features and versatility. If you are looking for a stroller that can do it all from birth to about 4 years old and can even turn into a triple with the Hitch Hiker board, you might want to consider the Valco Baby Zee Two.

Watch our full in-depth review video of the Valco Baby Zee Two below:

SHOP the Valco Baby Zee Two HERE

I added chocolate to the cheesecake and turned the crust into Oreo crust and now we have something special! These are sinfully delicious. Oreo cookie crust topped with chocolate cheesecake topped with chocolate chip cookie. Seriously, so yummy! Plus, these bars would be perfect for a summer party, birthday get together, Father’s Day (it would be a BIG hit!) or 4th of July! So, “pin” this recipe and save it for that perfect baking opportunity! You won’t be sorry!

Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

• 10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup melted chocolate (I used Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips melted)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan OR line the pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray for an easier clean up. Set aside.

2. Mix the melted butter and Oreo crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack.

3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In a large bowl with an electric mixer (or use a stand mixer), beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until combined. Add the 1/2 cup melted chocolate (that has been cooled slightly) and mix just until combined again. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust.

5. Flatten the clumps of dough in your palms to flatten them out a bit. Distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter. Be sure to use all of the dough. You will cover most of the cheesecake batter.

5. Bake for about 30-32 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. After 30 minutes, I popped mine in the refrigerator.

6. Slice into desired size and store in the refrigerator. I serve these bars cold.

For up-to-date recipes, reviews and news, make sure to follow us on the Baby Gizmo Facebook Page!

This Little Tikes Jump & Slide Bouncer holds up to 250 lbs so parents can even jump in to join the kids. Little Tikes recommends it for up to 3 kids but we’ve successfully used it with 4 or 5 but it does mean that the kids bounce into each other a bit more. The bounce house isn’t cheap retailing for $199, but we think it is worth every penny for how often we have used it! Plus, the quality is top-notch!! If you are looking for something to keep the kids busy all summer long (and in the winter too!), you must check out our Baby Gizmo Video Feature below:

SHOP Little Tikes Jump & Slide Bouncer HERE

Lionsgate liked my post so much that they have given me a never been seen clip from the movie to share with you. Okay, maybe it isn’t a “never been seen” clip because I did watch it before posting it. I had to screen it for you guys.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting is coming to a theater near you May 18th.

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post!