Category: gear

Happy Birthday Elmo!

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s everyone’s favorite fuzzy red guy’s birthday today, and we here at NKT wanted to send happy wishes to Elmo.  Sesame Street and the gang have touched many families in a myriad of ways, but it’s Elmo that always finds a way to the little ones’ hearts.  Maybe it’s the cutesy talk, Elmo’s World or the fact that he’s just plain cute, there’s no doubt about it, Elmo is well loved by kids young and old.

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Through this blog and beyond, I’ve been so fortunate to recall quite a few fun and surreal Elmo experiences, including an unforgettable tour of Sesame Street, the kid listening to Elmo “read” to children on the White House Great Lawn for the Easter Egg Roll and most recently, visiting Sesame Place for opening day and visiting Sesame Workshop with the kiddo.

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Jack at Sesame Place

Elmo is well loved in our home, and naturally, he’s a fixture in it as well.  In fact, two Christmases ago, the kid got not one, but I think three Elmo dancing toys.  One can never have too many Elmos, right?

Do you guys have any favorite Elmo memories?  If you do, make sure you check out Elmo’s Facebook page and share your memories over there, too!

Be on the look out for my next post about cool Elmo gadgets and goodies worth checking out.

Off Your Desk: New Service Helps Families Save Time and Money

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

From babies to big kids, for most of us, it seems one thing’s certain: at one point or another, we’ll end up at the doctor’s office with our kids. Kids get sick, adults get sick—we all get sick. And if you don’t? Well, lucky you :)

Insurance and health care is a hot button topic these days, but beyond the political firestorm, there’s a service that can help us navigate through the insurance paperwork that doctor visits often bring with them.

Did you know that 40 percent of health claims are mishandled or not fully reimbursed to the extent they should be by insurance companies? Also, consumers are paying out-of-pocket for an increasing proportion of their health care expenses. Off Your Desk is a new service helps individuals submit their insurance claims and makes sure that they get paid to the full extent that they deserve.

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One Born Every Minute Premieres Tonight on Lifetime

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I’ve been talking a lot about bigger kids here on NKT, so I thought it’s about time to focus on the wee ones for a bit.

In particular, there’s a new show that takes an inside look at a maternity ward at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.  In eight, hour-long episodes, the new series, One Born Every Minute, will spotlight expectant mothers as they enter their final stage of pregnancy and all the aspects surrounding this amazing, but often crazed time leading up to baby’s delivery.  One Born Every Minute doesn’t skip a beat with 40 cameras rolling to capture footage from the delivery room, to the operating room, to the front desk, to the nurses’ station, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For years, I watched “The Baby Story” on TLC, which my ob was featured a few times.  But let me tell you, sometimes I wish there was a camera rolling to capture how my labor and delivery seemed like an expectant mother’s worst case scenario.  Let’s just say my story was far from picture-perfect.  And really, who could forget the woman that my doctor stopped to help when she practically sneezed in triage and had her baby—AS my doctors were wheeling me to the operating room after two unsuccessful hours of pushing.  Writhing and screaming in pain with a baby stuck in my pelvis, my dr. parked me in the hall to help this lady.  Only me…

In retrospect, my experience was crazy, but well worth it.  And my doctors and nurses? Hello, what an amazing crew that literally held my hand the whole way through and were so supportive of helping me to breastfeed, too.

It seems like One Born Every Minute offers a nitty-gritty perspective of L&D and the doctors and nurses who make it all happen.  I can’t wait to see what it’s all about. Up for learning more about the magic that goes on during labor and delivery? Be sure to check out Lifetime’s One Born Every Minute premiere episode tonight at 10/9c.

Giveaway

In honor of the debut of One Born Every Minute, Lifetime has offered to give one NKT reader a baby-themed prize pack.

The Prize Pack Includes:

·         One ISOKI Diaper Bag:  ISOKI’s stylish designer range of reversible baby bags offers two bags in one by simply reversing to reveal a whole new look.  Inner components of the bag include a double-sided storage satchel, insulated cooler bag and large padded change mat, all of which can be used individually or as a complete set.

·         One Baby Gund Comfy Cozy

·         One Baby Gund Stuffed Animal

Want to win the prize pack?

Just comment below with something you’ll never forget about your Labor and Delivery. If you haven’t had a baby, then tell something about the show you’re excited about.

For additional entries:

Share this giveaway on Twitter and be sure to @jenrab

Share this giveaway on any social networking site

Like Lifetime on Facebook

Comment on this post on the NKT Fanpage

This giveaway ends at midnight on February 8.  The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be notified by email.  Good luck!

Holly Robinson Peete to Host Webinar on Food Allergies

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Because allergies run rampant in our family, this topic has been on my radar well before I became a parent.  Once I became a mom, introducing food to the kid with the possibility of food allergies became an even bigger reality.  Aside from real-life experience by helping my younger brother cope with being “allergic to the world,” my husband and I researched to educate ourselves for the uncertainty of having a child with food sensitivities.

Amidst all the gatherings this time of year, it’s the parties and family events that can be a cause of concern for allergic reactions.  After being so cautious with anything new that the three year old has eaten, over Christmas, he had an allergic reaction after having some cashews.  Of course, the reaction happened the evening of the post-Christmas blizzard and weather conditions would have complicated everything.  Thankfully, the kid is at an age where he can verbally communicate with us now, and immediately told us that his tongue was itchy—a telltale sign of an allergic reaction, and something that I always remember my brother describing after eating various things he was allergic to, when we were kids.

Always reluctant to let the kid have nuts in anything, for some reason, I thought he would have been ok trying cashews for the first time that night.  I thought he was in the clear with any nut allergies, but I was wrong.

The kid’s hives, swollen lips and an itchy tongue was enough to remind us that not all foods are safe for our allergy-prone kid.  Thankfully, we had Children’s Benadryl onhand to remedy the situation and that it didn’t require a trip to the ER.  We learned from this terrifying situation and are grateful it didn’t transpire differently.

Because of our family’s allergies and my interest in sharing this sort of information to other parents, I will be logging into a video webinar on the topic tomorrow.

Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day of the year after Thanksgiving. Since severe allergic reactions to food send 90,000 people to the emergency room annually, TV personality Holly Robinson Peete of CBS’s The Talk (who is married to former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete) will be hosting an online video webinar about handling food allergy dangers at gatherings like Super Bowl parties. Nine out of 10 people say they will be attending one this year, according to a recent Nielsen survey.  Since Holly’s four children all have some kind of food allergy, she has plenty of expertise in this topic.

After the webinar, I’ll be one of a few bloggers who will ask Holly questions pertaining to allergies and her experience.  It’s always interesting to hear other parents shed light on issues that hit so close to home.  I’ll of course share Holly’s insight after the interview, but I’d also like to invite you to watch the online webinar.

Allergy Friendly Superbowl Webinar with Holly Robinson Peete

When: Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT)

Where: Click this link
 to get to the webinar, where you will be able to watch Holly via live video feed: http://agencyroad.na4.acrobat.com/allergyfriendlysuperbowl/

Full disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in this webinar and Q&A via TheMotherhood. The webinar is being sponsored by Dey Pharma L.P.  As always all opinions on NKT are my own.

iCarly Star Surprises 7-Year-Old Cancer Patient

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

When 7-year-old cancer patient Carrie Janik was asked what she wanted more than anything in the world, she revealed that she wanted to meet iCarly star, Miranda Cosgrove.  Janik’s mom contacted the show’s producers about her daughter’s wish, and in turn, was invited to Cosgrove’s concert in Chigago.   Because the young fan couldn’t leave the hospital to attend the concert, Cosgrove brought a mini concert to Janik last week.  The coverage from the NBC affiliate in Chicago was so touching.

Cosgrove, who is currently on her Dancing Crazy Tour, tweeted about the mini concert last week and emphasized exactly why I think this teen star shines so brightly.

Making even more waves in the music realm, it was just reported that Cosgrove recently recorded a duet with Weezer frontman, Rivers Cuomo. The duo recorded the song “High Maintenance,” which will be featured on her forthcoming EP due in stores on March 15.

Cosgrove’s Dancing Crazy Tour is currently underway, so be sure to check her out if she makes a stop in your area.  iCarly, currently in its fourth season, can be seen on Nickelodeon, with the newest episode, iHire an Idiot, airing on February 12.

Designing with DwellStudio at CMOM

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

In the NYC area and looking for something fun to do with the kids tomorrow? Check out this fun Meet the Artist program at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.  Kids 4 and older can enjoy an art lesson on Still Life by DwellStudio Founder/Creative Director, Christiane Lemieux.  In the lesson, kids will explore shape and color through painting/drawing everyday objects in nature.

I can’t get enough of DwellStudio and I love nature, and I’m sure this fun program will be a hit with the kids!

Meet the Artist: Designing with DwellStudio will be held at 2pm, Saturday, January 29 at Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 West 83rd Street, New York, NY 10024.

Cooking Connections Launches Today

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

As you all know, food has become a significant part of my coverage on NKT.  The foods we eat and cook and the eating habits we display, ultimately, help our kids to make healthier choices.

For me, cooking resources on the internet and tv help me to navigate in the kitchen.  I’ve always been big on cooking, baking and eating, but online sites, magazines and shows underscore just how much I enjoy being in the kitchen.  I could seriously watch Food Network for hours and daydream about these professional cooks and chefs coming to my house to cook for me!  But good news, though these fantastic chefs can’t come to my house, but there are “real” parents who can—well, sort of!

TheMotherhood’s Cooking Connections, an awesome and innovative eight-week series of virtual cooking classes is launching today.  In this series of virtual cooking classes, “real” moms and dads will lead us in their kitchens, to help us learn more about topics relevant to parents.  The conversations, led by some of my favorite bloggers, will leverage social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and TheMotherhood.com.

Sponsored by ConAgra Foods, Cooking Connections is launching today, actually at 1:00 pm at the Blissdom Conference that’s going on right now in Nashville.

I love, love, love TheMotherhood and all the wonderful things that they’re doing around our community.  Cooking Connections will, no doubt, be just as successful as their other projects.  I’m excited to be participating in the cooking class that focuses on picky eaters.  “Placating Picky Eaters” will take place in a few weeks, and I’ll be sure to share more about it soon.  By the way, TheMotherhood, Emily McKhann and 77Kids by American Eagle got a nod in Forbes for the inspiring Do Good Day campaign that tapped bloggers around the country to pay it forward.

Join the conversation!  Want to learn more about Cooking Connections and/or register to participate?  Be sure to sign up here at TheMotherhood.

Check out Cooper and Emily’s announcement video for even more details!

Snowy Days Mean More Game Play

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Have you had enough of the snow and cold already? I think we’re tired of the work and obstacles that snow brings with it, but “sleighing” down our hill certainly doesn’t get old. Like most of you, because we can’t get outdoors as much on snowy days, we’ve got a little bit of cabin fever going on.

Being indoors much more than we’d like has meant we’ve had to adjust our normal routine. I monitor and limit tv and screen time throughout the day, and so, we’ve found ourselves playing more games, doing more crafts, cooking, reading and just playing whatever comes naturally. Here’s are just a few activities, crafts and toys that’s been keeping us busy.

LeapFrog Interactive Map

I’ve said it before, but LeapFrog, to me, is one of the frontrunners in innovative, educational toys. The LeapFrog Tag Interactive Map is no exception. The Interactive Map, paired with a Tag Reader, has been keeping us busy on these snowy days, teaching us cool facts about states we’ve visited, where our relatives live and helps us visualize where we hope to visit! After locating cool spots on the map, we like to try to put our new geographic knowledge to good use and and find the same locales on our globe ($1 garage sale find.) The Interactive Map is a great way to engage imagination, curiosity while throwing a bit of geography into the mix.

Jigsaw Puzzles


Who doesn’t love puzzles? Puzzles are a great activity for kids and parents to interact. It involves logic, teamwork and patience, characteristics that have surely been put to the test with all this cabin fever! Our favorite jigsaw puzzle right now is this Super Why Hidden Word puzzle. This puzzle is a fun way to enjoy one of our favorite shows and their characters, and not having to stare a screen to do so! The Why Finder (magnifying glass) to help locate hidden words is a very fun added element that gives even more engagement after the last piece of the puzzle is put into place.

Crayola Color Wonder


Crafts, especially drawing, has been one of the best ways to pass time these days. The kid loves markers; my new area carpet and furniture does not. Our compromise is Crayola’s Color Wonder markers and paints. If you’re not familiar with the awesomeness that is Color Wonder, the geniuses at Crayola have created a line of products that only color on special paper. The markers, paintbrushes and paints only show up on the Color Wonder paper, which means no mess all over your stylish white couch. Santa was so kind to bring the boy Toy Story and other Disney themed Color Wonder coloring books. I will probably never buy another kind of marker again–we love these things so much! No mess=happy family!

WonderForge What’s in the Hat Game

Here we go-go-go! Do you guys watch Cat in the Hat on PBS? We sure do! So, when WonderForge told us about their new Cat in the Hat games, we were all about them. The What in the Hat game, though, is THE funniest game to play with preschoolers, espcially the ones who don’t know how to keep secrets. It’s a simple guessing game that involves hiding everyday items within the Cat’s hat, but it never fails, we get big laughs from this game!

What are your favorite snowy/indoor activities?

Full disclosure: Select samples were provided for editorial review. As always, opinions on NKT are my own.

HP ePrint Features Detachable Touchsceen and More

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

At CES, one of the most memorable and relevant segments of the show for NKT was MommyTech and Kids@Play.  This special section of the show and conference track spotlighted technology that underscores mom’s influence in the technology sector.

I’m all about technology that makes parenthood easier and more organized, but on the flipside, I don’t think it should replace human interaction.

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A few tech brands that had a presence at CES and aim to reach the mom market include Microsoft, HP, Mobi, Eye-Fi, Knowledge Adventure, among others.

I had a chance to meet with HP and Snapfish to learn about their latest products, many of which I think you photo fans like me would love.  Even though we just bought a Canon printer/fax machine/copier, I thought HP’s Photosmart eStation e-All-in-One Printer would be a perfect complement to my home office and craft area.  This thing had more functions than any printer that I’ve ever seen.
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According to HP, the Photosmart eStation e-All-in-One can print, fax, photo copy and scan, plus it has a detachable, full-color, 7″ touchscreen that doubles as a wireless digital companion and control panel for remote printing.  Now, if only it could program the dishwasher and washing machine remotely!

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Play Kitchens Promote Imagination and Creativity for Girls and Boys

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I was planning on writing about something completely different today, and then I saw this question posed on Twitter:

I was caught off guard since my boy, like I’m sure many of yours, enjoys play cooking.  As we finish our remodel and completion of rooms, we’ve been on the hunt for a kitchen that’s “just right.”  But the reason I was caught off guard was, since when did imagination and creativity become a gender thing, because isn’t that what role playing, such as kitchen play, promotes?

Maybe it’s because I choose to ignore such conversations, but I never realized that play kitchens were considered “girl toys.” Quite honestly, I wish it didn’t have to be that way.  Ample research has revealed that exposing kids to the kitchen benefits them in the long run.  Whether it’s a play kitchen or a real kitchen, let the kids explore, learn and be creative.

Ever go to a toy store where the demo play kitchen is set up?  It never fails, the play kitchen, just like a real kitchen at family gatherings, has some sort of magnetic energy that lures people and kids.

While we’re at it, let’s talk kitchens.  Here are just a few kitchens that are perfect for cooking up a good (pretend) feast:

The Educo Gourmet Kitchen is made of wood with completely non-toxic, child-friendly paints and finishes.  I love that this kitchen features bright, bold and modern, a contrast from that gender-specific color palette.

The Deluxe Kitchen Play Centre from Melissa and Doug is the kitchen in question that always lures my kid in, whenever we visit our local toy boutique.  It’s made mostly of wood, features a myriad of controls, buttons, shelves and accoutrements.  Basically, like the marketing material implies, this kitchen has everything including the kitchen sink.

Another kitchen that’s made of wood that I love is the kid’s play kitchen from IKEA.  Like their furniture, it boast straight lines, euro design and most importantly, the kids love its “realistic” features.  Best aspect, though, is that its in the $100 range, with plenty of options to add personal touches.

Speaking of personal touches, what about DIY play kitchens?  I can’t think of a more sustainable option that involves interaction from parent and kids than creating a play kitchen from repurposed furniture.  This one, made by a set of grandparents, is probably my idea of the holy grail of DIY play kitchens.

Do you guys have any thoughts on kitchens? Any faves? Opposed or in favor of boys/girls playing in the kitchen?