Learning Curve - The First Years - Kickin Coaster Review

Because I am a Learning Curve Community Member and a member of the LearningCurve.com Parents Council I am periodically informed of wonderful opportunities to test some of Learning Curve's products or products by their many wonderful brands like The First Years. If you have not heard about the Learning Curve they have an vast array of different baby, toddler, and child products. They carry developmental toys, safety and care products, and feeding and soothing products. I love their developmental toys for all of my children.

The product that I tested out is called a Kickin' Coaster by The First Years. It looks a little like a baby bouncer chair. Looks; however, can be deceiving! This thing is the coolest baby seat I have ever seen! My 4 month old daughter, Teela, loved it from the start. That is her in the picture :) Instead of bouncing a little when the baby moves or kicks its legs it has a kick plate that when kicked makes the seat glide backwards in a smooth movement. Teela had a bit of trouble getting her legs to push the seat all the way back back, but she got it to move a little. I think babies that are a bit older than her would be able to push it the whole distance without any trouble at all. Below the fabric seat it has a switch that locks the seat into position so that it cannot be pushed backwards. It has three musical settings with lights that go with the music. The settings are: happy playful music all the time, soothing music all the time, and happy playful music when kick plate is kicked. It also has three settings: off, low, and high for vibration and the same for volume. The music is nice and not annoying like some toys. It also has a cute little monkey and kangaroo that seem to wiggle when the kick plate is kicked. Teela loved the rattle that is attached and the infant headrest to lay her head on while in the chair. These two items are both detachable. The fabric seat is easily removed and machine washable. This is a great product and I thank Learning Curve for letting Teela and I test it out!

Dawson Park in Portland, Oregon

As I was going to an appointment for my 4 year old daughter at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon we passed a park that had this beautiful gazebo. I immediately fell in love with it. The park is called Dawson Park and it is at N Stanton St & Williams Ave if you ever have the chance of going. The gazebo that was built in 1978 was made from a 120 year-old cupola salvaged from the Hill Block Building that was torn down. Renovated in 2008 it is absolutely my favorite thing about the park! Here is a picture of it that I found online. I will have to go back and actually get some pictures of my own to share with all of you as well. If anyone has pictures of this gazebo please share them with me. Thanks!

Clothing Styles

My fashion style has always been pretty casual. I love wearing jeans and a t-shirt because it is comfortable to me. But sometimes I want to dress up a bit. I like styles that are modest and tasteful better than those that are not and I feel more comfortable in them too.

Jewelry I love: chokers, brooches, chandelier earrings, bangle bracelets (I have always wanted to collect them), and memory wire wrap bracelets (I love to make these in my spare time). When I was young I loved friendship bracelets...still do actually. They are so colorful!

If I am not wearing jeans or capri pants usually I have on a long flowing skirt. I really dislike the skirts with slits that will always show your slip or ones that are too tight they don't let you walk in them. I love long skirts that go down to my ankles. Maybe I am a bit old fashioned. My favorites are the sarong (Indonesia)/pareo (Tahiti)/kikepa (Hawaii)/lavalava (Samoa)/sulu (Fiji)/beach wrap...long skirts, gauze/crinkle/broomstick/gypsy/peasant long skirts.

I also love shawls, scarves, dupatta (long scarf), and ponchos (esp. ones with fringe, metallic threads, eyelash yarn, etc.), capes, caplets (esp. hooded ones). I love outfits from India (kirtis, saris, choli, salwar (pants), kameez (shirt). I love smocked tops with empire waists.

Other things I love, but haven't tried out are bindis and henna/mehndi fake tattoo body art.

COLOR, FABRICS, PATTERNS, AND JEWELS...
glitter
opalescent or iridescent or holographic or dichroic
batik
tye dye
opals, blue goldstone, blue moonstone, blue/black pearls, shell, tanzanite, iolite, etc
tapestries
paisley
beaded
embroidery - beaded
pashmina - finest wool
cashmere
Angora wool - Angora bunny fur spun with wool fibers
velvet (crushed, patchwork, w/lace, beaded, embellished, tie dyed)

Going Green

I love the going green movement. I think it is a fabulous thing to do. When you start living green you can save the environment, save money, and live better too. All those toxic chemicals and bad things for you can be avoided.

My babies got the green treatment. I did the whole cloth diapering thing with my boys when they were younger and I loved it! It was better for the environment and I was saving money in the long run. I also breastfed all my babies and this saved me money, was less waste, and in my opinion is a lot healthier and more natural for the baby than formula. I also loved making them homemade baby food with my baby food grinder when they were old enough to eat it.

Speaking of eating, if you can organic is definitely the way to go. It is so much better for you and doesn't have all the toxic chemicals that might come from eating processed or non-organic (pesticide laden) foods. It might be a bit more expensive, but it might save doctor bills in the future.

I also love things made of natural materials. Clothing made of natural material seem to breath better and feel better on my skin to me. I love 100% organic cotton. Industrial hemp is also one of my favorites because of the many things it can be made into. Industrial Hemp has natural anti-fungal and antibacterial properties which makes it a great fabric for cloth diapers and other things.

*I also use compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) light bulbs in my house because they save me money by lasting longer and using less energy than incandescent bulbs.

My favorite website for reducing, reusing, and recycling is Freecycle. They help prevent things from going to the landfills everyday. On Freecycle everything is free, minus the gas to go pick it up! You can get rid of all kinds of stuff you don't want to people that do by offering it up on your local Freecycle site. You can also get some neat things too by either asking for it and seeing if someone would give one up for free or waiting until someone lists something cool you want. While we were living in Florida we got a really awesome and totally free sand & water table for our blind daughter, Tatiana, for her sensory learning. We also got rid of a whole bunch of stuff on their when we moved.

Clean green too - Replace harmful household cleaners containing bleach and chlorine with cheaper, non-toxic alternatives like baking soda, borax soap and vinegar. Create all-purpose cleaners by mixing together everyday items in your kitchen. Mix together 2 cups white distilled vinegar, 2 cups water and 20-30 drops of essential oils to clean hard surfaces like countertops, kitchen floors, windows and mirrors. Also there is this great product called SoapNuts which are sold at Green Virgin Products. They are great for cleaning your laundry and 100% natural.

*2013 Update: I no longer use compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) light bulbs because they contain mercury and are a toxic hazard if they break because it leaks out. Instead I use Light-Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs because they are better for the environment, use less energy, and are getting more cost effective over time. With the phase out of incandescent bulbs because they no longer meet federal energy-efficiency standards LED bulbs are the best way to go.

I have only listed a few ways of going green here. There are a lot more ways to help the environment and ourselves. I am sure you can think of others, but this list might get you: thinking and started on the path.