Having a Whale of a Time

My favorite animals are whales, dolphins, and porpoises (cetaceans). Ever since I was a little girl I was fascinated with them. My first time at Sea World was in California when I was 4 years old and I remember how great I felt just watching them at the viewing window glide back and forth in the water so gracefully. In sixth grade my teacher used the Voyage of the Mimi series to teach us and it was filled with great scenes with them spotting whales. I started a newspaper and magazine clipping notebook on them and it was filled quickly since I lived in Alaska at the time. I started reading books on them and writing notes. Every time there was a school paper to write I would try to incorporate them in it if I could. I wanted to be a cetacean biologist (cetologist) or marine biologist. As a child my home teachers from church took me to a museum in Alaska that was featuring mechanical whales and dolphins in an exhibit.

As a teen I wanted one of those Shamu Cruisers to drive around :) I was into science fiction books like Animorphs and Deep Wizardry because of the whales and dolphins in them. I was introduced to a dolphin discussion forum called POD (Place of Dolphins) by one of my Animorphs role playing buddies and that is where I met my husband. He was in Ohio at the time and I was in Utah. We also chatted by messenger and a web camera with video chat. He came to visit me in person the day before my birthday in May of 1999 and in a whirlwind wedding we were married in June of that same year in his parents' backyard. Some say we were crazy, but we were in love and still are! He is the love of my life and I am so glad to have been introduced to POD because I don't know where I would be without him and my 4 wonderful children!

Before I moved to Oregon I went to Newport and went whale watching with my husband with Marine Discovery Tours. We also went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium and I wished we were there when Keiko was so that I could have seen him before they let him back in the wild. We also took a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada and went to the Mirage Hotel where Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat is. Generally that, shopping, a few shows, and my sister's family would be my only reason to visit there because my sister lives and works in Las Vegas now that she is married.

After three of our children were born we lived in Orlando, Florida for a while and spent a lot of time together at Sea World there. I envy the dolphin and whale trainers there because they get to spend their whole day with them and get paid for it. I miss Orlando a lot. We go back and visit every now and then. Oregon is fun too, but I miss living as close to the coast as I used to. Now the Sea World in Orlando has a great new water park called Aquatica and it looks like so much fun!! They have a water slide called the Dolphin Plunge that goes beneath the water and their Commerson's Dolphins swim right beside you while you are shooting through a see through tube. Maybe I will get to go when my children are a little older and I don't have a baby in tow although she probably would love the lazy river.

I saw this awesome dolphin submersible watercraft not to long ago. It is made by Innespace and they just came out with a new model that is a two seater called the Seabreacher! It is really something to go and check out. Boy if I had the money to get one I would in a heartbeat. It is able to perform sustained dives, huge jumps, barrel rolls, and many other amazing acrobatic tricks.

Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewelry Review

Ok, I must admit I had only heard of Smart Mom Jewelry and had already bought their jewelry before I went searching for more great products for teething babies. I came across this website called Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewels. They have a line of teething jewelry and keychains similar to Smart Mom Jewelry's. This jewelry line is conceptualized and manufactured by Dr. Helen Bloom Smith, a dentist and loving mom from Birmingham, Alabama.

These jewels are also made from plastic that is food-safe, non-toxic, phthalate, BPA, latex, lead, and PVC free. They are also dishwasher-friendly. Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewels are made of food grade silicone that has FDA approved materials and colorings. Not only did Dr. Bloom make sure the material and colorings on her products were safe for your baby, she made sure the product was the perfect thickness/hardness. If a product is too hard it can damage the tooth buds. She apparently has done her research to find the perfect durometer for a teething baby. She should know her stuff, being a dentist and all! The pendants have a latex free cording that has elasticity to allow for stretching instead of the breakaway clasp. The jewels for the necklaces come in a rectangle pendant, circle pendant, or hexagon pendant. They also carry bracelets and keychains.

I was sent a Emerald Bracelet and Circle Slide Necklace for free from Dr. Bloom to test and review.

They are giving $1 to the Starlight Children's Foundation for every Plum jewelry item sold from their website.

Smart Mom Jewelry Review

Here is my littlest one, Teela, enjoying some Teething Bling from Smart Mom Jewelry. She is also pictured on their website.

What a great product they have! I love the fact that they are safe for babies to chew on and so stylish to wear. As many moms know that when you wear your jewelry while holding small children they are always enthralled by it and want to either pull on it or chew on it. I can say that most of my jewelry is not safe to chew on. Most have small parts and some even have lead in them! The Teething Bling is made from plastic that is food-safe, non-toxic, phthalate, BPA, latex, lead, and PVC free. They are also dishwasher-friendly and all pendants come with a breakaway clasp. As you already know I love bangles...so when I heard about this fabulous product on some other mom blogs out there I had to buy one to see for myself. I bought the Lapis Lazuli donut shaped pendant and the bangle to match.

A percentage of all retail sales goes to these worthy organizations:

CureSearch
Dress for Success
(in special memory of Maria Jankowski Maurer)

Also, you can use coupon code S-MWS to receive $12 off with every pendant purchase, expires September 2008. Save yourself. Check it out.

This October 2008, Smart Mom Jewelry supports breast cancer awareness month with a special online offer. Purchase anything from their "Think Pink" line and they'll donate 20% of every sale to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

November is time for their pre-holiday sale! All month long, everything is 20% off.

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!