Time to meet another new Baby Gizmo Mama!  Veronica is another new addition to our Baby Gizmo Editor family. She lives in Ithaca, NY with her two small children and husband and, of course, we think she’s pretty great!

Veronica Armstrong is a stay at home mother and freelance writer. She lives with her husband and two small children in Cornell University graduate student housing while her husband studies for his MBA. 

She blogs at www.CrunchyVTMommy.com about her adventures in natural motherhood, temporary Vermont hiatus, and life as an MBA wife.

Veronica is also a hobbyist photographer that likes to express herself through captures of her ordinary and beautifully hectic life. Maple bacon donuts bring her unbridled joy and coffee is her best friend.

With the popularity of Pinterest growing by the day, we thought her “Using Pinterest for Meal Planning” post was a good way to introduce her. Let’s all give her a warm Baby Gizmo welcome!!

Using Pinterest for Meal Planning

Meal planning was once the bane of my existence. Every week I would find myself scrambling and planning at the last minute for the next week’s meal plan. We go food shopping every week and we like to eat food all the time so one would think that I would plan accordingly. That was unfortunately not the case.

My previous meal planning strategy used to involve forcing myself to sit at my desk with my laptop every Sunday morning racking my brain thinking about what my family might want to eat. It was such a hassle to try and think of creative, nutritious, and sometimes original recipes under pressure. With two small children in tow grocery shopping can be epic chore so it is important to be prepared. Meal planning is essential in my household but was so boring to me.

Then I discovered Pinterest.

I already use an iPhone app as a grocery list. That has definitely upped my grocery shopping productivity but now I use my phone for meal planning too. I log on to the Pinterest app. Scroll through my feed and pin anything and everything that looks delicious, easy, or fun to make to my “What I’m Cooking” board. At the end of the week I check out everything I’ve pinned and I have a variety of meals to choose from for the upcoming week. I then make a shopping list based on the required ingredients and my regular staples, add them to my grocery list app, and head to the store.

It’s great! Menu planning is no longer a chore because other (more creative) people are doing the work for me. It is a bit of a collaborative effort and the visually appealing eye candy on Pinterest holds my attention while I scroll through my feed during late night nursing sessions. I have discovered a ton of new recipes and creative ways to spice up dishes I have previously made.

You can even make a new board that allows contributors so your friends can recommend recipes to you. So easy and fun.

Do you use Pinterest for recipe inspiration? Have you ever considered using it as a meal planning resource?

(Do you follow Baby Gizmo on Pinterest yet? Because you totally should!)

Undergarments are a very common Valentine’s Day gift for the love of your life.  I just hadn’t expected to be purchasing tighty whities for my two year old.  Before you get your panties in a bunch, I can explain.

I’ve been dreading the whole potty training process until I spotted these!

Although they better not encourage my son to make any ads like David Beckham did for H&M.

At home, I googled the label and learned that these training pants are available on amazon at Empress Arts “Training in Progress” Childrens Training Underwear Large for the same $5.95 price I paid at a boutique (plus shipping)

It’s a BIG sale alert!  BabyLegs is having a 50% off ALL BabyLegs now through Monday, February 6 when you use the coupon code “NOFOOTBALL“.  That’s right – this isn’t a sale on select styles or styles you probably wouldn’t want.  This is a sale on EVERYTHING!!!  Yeah!!!

SHOP BabyLegs Sale HERE

Britax Marathon 70 is 25% off on Amazon today! Love this seat!  My 4 year old sits in one!

The Britax B-Ready is 24%-36% off today depending on your color choice!

The Stokke Tripp Trapp (another Baby Gizmo favorite!) is 23% off today!

Safety 1st On Board Air Protect 35 Infant Car Seat is an astonishing 29% off! (Lowest price we’ve seen in a while!)

Looking for a great sit n’ stand stroller? The Joovy Caboose is 34% off!  Great deal!

A new diaper bag is like a new purse! So fun!  You might want to grab this deal on the JJ Cole Mode Diaper Tote Bag for 37% off!

Happy Shopping!!

Roses are red; violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet & so are you!

Here’s a way to be even sweeter and more heartfelt, caring and giving this Valentine’s Day:

Make a $25 donation to Save the Children’s “Love to Read, Read to Live” campaign, and receive a 30-card boxed set of limited-edition Valentines designed by artists your children know and love.  (That’s less than 84 cents per card)

Perfect for your child’s classmates, playgroup, friends and/or families, each card was designed by favorite children’s book authors and illustrators: Mo Willems (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!), Kevin Henkes (Kitten’s First Full Moon), Ian Falconer (Olivia!), Leuyen Pham (Freckleface Strawberry) and Brian Selznick (Wonderstruck).

Your tax-deductible donation supports Save the Children’s U.S. Programs, where literacy plays a fundamental role in their work and in the chance for a brighter future for all children.  Nearly 1 in 4 children lives in poverty and the majority of them don’t have any books in their home.

Make sure you order your cards by February 6 to ensure delivery on time for Valentine’s Day.  Save the Children’s Valentine’s Day cards are available at www.savethechildren.org/valentinesor or by calling 1-800-728-3843.

Bugaboo is adding three fun new colors for 2012!  Electric Blue, Jade Green and Coral Red will be available for the Bugaboo Cameleon, Donkey and Bee. Whatcha think?  Like ‘em or prefer the current colors better?

It must be a good time to stock up on baby shoes!  It’s another fantastic sale!  This time it is our favorite baby shoe company – pediped!!

They are having a sale with shoes for baby, toddlers and kids up to 60% right now!  The kicker is that it ends on Sunday!  Hurry!  Grab a few pairs before the sale is over!  You’ll be glad you did!

SHOP Pediped SALE HERE

There’s a day to celebrate love (Valentine’s Day), there’s a day to celebrate a man that changed equality (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) and there’s a day to celebrate the birth of your child (birthday), but what about starting your own day? Starting your our own family tradition? Maybe one that your kids can pass down from generation to generation.

How to pick a family day

Encourage some family time with a new activity – pick a day that is special (or a random day that simply sounds like a good day) and make it a special day just for your family.

Get a calendar and go through the months. If you’re having a hard time picking a date, look at which months don’t have birthdays or big holidays. If your kids are in school, you can look at the school calendar to see if there are any non-school days that don’t involve a holiday. You kids will be home on a non-school day anyway so you might as well make it a special day.

How to name your family day

Get creative with naming your family day but be careful not to make it a specific name that can’t carry over to each year.

How to pick activities on your family day

Your activities will depend on the weather and age of your children. One idea is to have a family day fish bowl and fill it with ideas starting a few weeks leading up to the big day. You can also take turns selecting activities or start a family bucket list – then accomplish each goal on your bucket list each year.

Please share this with every child-bearing age women you know just in case!!

We LOVE babies but sometimes you want to plan for them or NOT plan for them!  That’s why this massive birth control RECALL is important for all women to see!  We’d hate for someone to miss it and…well…end up with a little “surprise”.

Here are photos of the recalled pills on the FDA website. Below is the announcement from the FDA website:

Pfizer Inc. announced today that it has voluntarily recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral®-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol)Tablets and 14 lots of Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic) for customers in the U.S. market. An investigation by Pfizer found that some blister packs may contain an inexact count of inert or active ingredient tablets and that the tablets may be out of sequence. The cause was identified and corrected immediately.

These products are oral contraceptives indicated for the prevention of pregnancy in women who elect to use oral contraceptives as a method of contraception. These tablets were manufactured and packaged by Pfizer Inc., commercialized by Akrimax Rx Products and labeled under the Akrimax Pharmaceuticals brand. This product is distributed to warehouses, clinics and retail pharmacies nationwide.

As a result of this packaging error, the daily regimen for these oral contraceptives may be incorrect and could leave women without adequate contraception, and at risk for unintended pregnancy. These packaging defects do not pose any immediate health risks. However, consumers exposed to affected packaging should begin using a non-hormonal form of contraception immediately. Patients who have the affected product (lot numbers are provided below) should notify their physician and return the product to the pharmacy.

These products are packaged in blister packs containing 21 tablets of active ingredients and seven tablets of inert ingredients. Correct dosing of this product is important in avoiding the associated risks of an unplanned pregnancy. Correctly packaged blister packs are pictured here.

Any adverse events that may be related to the use of these products should be reported to Akrimax Medical Information at 1-877-509-3935 (8 AM to 7 PM Mon-Fri CST) or to FDA’s Med Watch Program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm¹
Regular Mail: Use postage-paid, pre-addressed Form FDA 3500
available at: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm². Mail
to the address on the pre-addressed form.
Fax: 1-800-FDA-0178

Pfizer has responded rapidly to ensure that its products continue to meet the company’s high quality standards. The safety of patients who take our medicines is our first priority.

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Lot numbers of affected packs of Lo/Ovral®-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol)Tablets and Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic) follow on the table below:

NDC	Product	Lot	Expiration	Configuration/Count
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15678	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15679	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15686	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15687	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15690	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15698	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E15700	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E80434	07/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	E80438	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F36908	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F36909	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F43915	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F43926	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-801-84	LO/OVRAL® 28	F43927	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	E15677	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	E15704	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	E15706	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	E80440	08/31/2013	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F16388	01/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F16390	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F22132	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F31330	02/28/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F36911	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F36913	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F43924	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F43925	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F43934	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each
24090-961-84	Norgestrel 0.3 mg/Ethinyl Estradiol 0.03 mg	F53238	03/31/2014	6 Pilpacks® of 28 tablets each

We made it through January!  I don’t know about you, but the quicker and milder the winter is, the happier I am.

On Thursday, February 2, an otherwise cold and dreary mid-winter’s day, groundhog Punxsutawney Phil will awake from a long winter’s nap, and go outside of his den to see if he sees his shadow.   According to legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow (a sunny morning), there will be six more weeks of winter. He then returns to his den and goes back to sleep. If however, he does not see his shadow (cloudy days), he plays around outside of his hole for a while and spring is just around the corner.

For the Record:   Phil sees his shadow about 9 out of 10 times.

Groundhog day is a great opportunity to play with your child with shadows.  Most children are  fascinated by shadows. Regents Center for Early Developmental Educations explains, “Exploration of shadows is especially appropriate for youngsters because children are often intrigued by shadow phenomena.  Shadows are mysterious-they come and go; appear sometimes in front of us, sometimes behind, sometimes on the ceiling, sometimes singly, sometimes in pairs; can be tall or short, partial or complete-and yet they are a part of children’s everyday experiences.”

Consider using mirrors and shadow making  equipment, such as light tables, screens, flashlights, and overhead projectors, to allow your kids to watch their own images as they  explore and play.

Do you think the groundhog will see his shadow?