Finger Painting with Gallery 9 Premium Acrylic Paint

I recently got the opportunity to play with Gallery 9 Premium Acrylic paint set. A complimentary sample of the product was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

Because I'm not much of an artist (I make digital art, but not real-life art) and I couldn't draw a straight line if my life depended on it, we decided to just have some family time with this set and do some finger painting. The seller has assured me that the paint is completely non toxic and safe for my child to finger paint with, so we grabbed a couple of large, thick paper sheets from the art store and got the party started. 

First thing that you notice when playing with the Galley 9 paint is the absence of any kind of odor. It's great for body painting and finger painting with your children, but it's also perfect for all sorts of crafts. This is a water-based paint, made in the USA, designed to be safe and long-lasting, but also very easy to clean up. After we were done finger painting, it took me 20 seconds of washing in lukewarm water to clean my daughter's hands. The paint just kind of flaked off nicely, leaving no trace of color or smell. 

The colors are incredibly pigmented and vibrant. They just pop! They're also very blendable and velvety in texture. You only need a tiny drop of the paint to be able to smooth it out nicely. The thickness of the paint is just right - concentrated enough for extra vivid color and definitely not watery. 

The kid and I had lots of fun with these paints, and there is still plenty left for my little artist to practice her skills. We played with the paint for about an hour and covered one large sheet with colorful splashes, but the bottles seem just as full as before, so I'm pretty sure this set will last us a long time. I'm very pleased with the quality of these paints.

You can buy the paint here: Amazon ($19.99)

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Baby Essentials That Will Make Mommy's Life Easier

I can honestly tell you, I wouldn't survive without all these baby products! They're life savers through and through. I own all of these, use them on a daily basis and they really make my life easier - and keep the baby happy!

1) Snugli Carrier - We got ours at a second-hand local sale and it was quite a good deal! I use it whenever there's something I need to do / somewhere I need to go, and the baby just won't sit in her stroller / saucer patiently. For instance, I once baked cupcakes and then loaded the dishwasher while Victoria was snuggled in her Snugli. She was so comfy in it, she eventually fell asleep. How awesome is that?

2) Evenflo Excersaucer / Jumper - We got this awesome device from our family friends. It is the single most used baby product in the household. Victoria loves spending time in it - thanks to this jumper her legs are very strong now (like seriously, this girl can kick!). I can put her in it and she is content playing with the moving parts for as long as 40 minutes at a time. And guess what? After a 40 minute jumping session is ready for a nap :) Mommy loves this thing!!!

3) Organic Swaddle - This beauty is so big (47x47 inch), not even my little kicker can get out of it! She sleeps soundly through the night. No more struggling to swaddle your baby in a too small blanket, no more getting up at night multiple times to re-do the wrap. My nights have been made! And did I mention it's ORGANIC?!

4) Chewbeads - Whether your baby is teething or not, they probably enjoy chewing on things. I know my daughter does. I also know she struggles with oddly shaped chewing toys and slippery teethers. Chewbeads makes amazing silicone teethers that are healthy for the baby, easy to grab and hold on to, and really quite fashionable! Love these!

5) Soundspa - A very helpful little lullaby system that also works as a projector! It has 3 lullabies, 3 white noise recordings and 3 discs for the projector (ocean theme, nigh sky theme and jungle theme). I don't use the projector and the lullabies all that often, but I do play the white noise for my daughter every single night. It helps her sleep for sure, especially when mommy is working on a blog post just a few feet away from her crib.

6) Large and spacious Diaper Bag (Indigo Maldives Tote)- And the LARGE and SPACIOUS is the key phrase here. I finally have a diaper bag that works as a, well, diaper bag, but can also hold my bulky wallet, my phone, a book, and possibly some groceries. Seriously, it's that awesome! And it doesn't look like a diaper bag at all - just look at it, it's gorgeous! Stylish mommy, hello!

7) Baby Swing - Great for getting baby to take a nap. I love this swing, really. When it's warm enough, I drag it outside on the porch and Victoria is either happy swinging and looking around, or - even better - sleeping. And mommy can have a cup of coffee! 

Throwback Thursday: My Baby Pictures a.k.a Communistic Baby

These are just a couple of photos I happen to have scanned and stored on my computer, but trust me, there's more and I am going to dig them all up for you as soon as I arrive in Poland at the end of this year :) 

I joke when I say "communistic baby", of course. Kind of. Well, I was born in 1985 and during that time period Poland was a communistic country, but I don't actually remember much of it all. I have heard stories from my mom and grandma, and if that's something you'd be interested in, I'd be more than happy to tell you. One day. 

Today, let's just laugh at that chubby little kid with her Dumbo-the-Elephant ears (a lovely feature of mine that caused lots of insecurities in the years to follow). Isn't she adorable? 

Etsy Finds: Hilarious Baby Onesies

Some time ago I posted Organic Baby Finds on Etsy, and I enjoyed sharing those so much, I decided to make my Etsy hunting a kind of a regular thing. Today, I'd like to share with you all some really funny baby onesies I found. Some of them crack me right up, and I am considering buying (or making) a couple. 

How do you like these? Which one is your favorite? Or maybe you know of some other hilarious onesies? Do share! 

 I Don't Always Drink Milk but when I Do, I Prefer Dos Boobies |I Just Spent 9 Months in the Bat Cave | Who's Your Father | I Drink Till' I Pass Out | Birth: Nailed It! | All Mommy Wanted Was a Backrub | I See Old People

Baby Victoria's 5th Month Update | Milestones!

So this post is a bit overdue, since Victoria's 5th month mark was on July 17th, but I am sure you all understand how busy life can get with a baby! And a dog! And a husband who is currently in the *study-or-die* mode, as he is getting ready for his dental boards exam that is in under a week from now (I mean, he's at home, but we don't even see him at all - he studies from 9am to 3 am!).

But I digress.

Victoria is growing so fast! It feels like just a week ago she was this tiny little bean who didn't know (nor care) what was going on around her. And now? She is all over everything. Suddenly, everything is a great chew toy - from her own adorable toes, to mommy's cellphone. Food is looking more and more interesting, especially if you can reach that colorful plate and knock it to the floor! She's drooling at a rate that makes me worried she'll get dehydrated. She's screaming at the dog, screaming at the toys, laughing at FRIENDS on TV.. It's just been an awfully eventful month and watching her reach milestone after milestone was more than rewarding and breathtaking experience. It was also delightfully entertaining, moving and unforgettable! 

Eating:

• She's eating anywhere from 4-5oz of formula (sadly, my milk has dried up completely in this past month, so we're doing exclusively formula now. She got 4,5 months of breast milk, and even though I was really hoping to keep it up till she was at least 6 months old, it just didn't work out. She's doing great on the formula, though, and did not have any problems switching or getting used to it.) 
• We have started her on rice cereal. She is eating 2 spoons with almost every bottle throughout the day, and 4 spoons of it with her last evening feeding, which really helps her sleep through most of the night. 
• We have started her on some solid foods, too. So far, she has tried carrot, apple and sweet potato. Sweet potato seems to be her favorite. She did not particularly like the Gerber Baby's First Food Apple, though she does love the REAL thing, so I sometimes puree some for her. 
• She eats every 4-5 hours now (just a month ago it was 3-4 h). 
• Only one night-time feeding, and only 4 oz of milk. Usually around 3:00-4:00 am.

Sleeping:

• She used to go to sleep around 8:00-9:00 pm, now she insists on doing that earlier with every day. I honestly don't know what's the deal here, but yesterday she went to bed at 6:30 pm. This seems to be her new routine.
• She sleeps from 7:00 pm to 6:00 am, with one night-time feeding which she usually half-sleeps through. 
• Ever since her acid reflux problem went away, she sleeps much better.
• She can't seem to make up her mind about being swaddled these days - she will do everything (and I mean EVERYTHING, the bed is shaking when she's kicking around in it) to break out of the swaddle, but she literally can't / won't fall asleep without it. So every time when she breaks out, I need to get up, swaddle her again, give her the pacifier and then go back to bed. This can happen anywhere from 5-10 times in a raw. Night-time workout anyone?
• Naps. What naps? She barely sleeps during day time anymore. It's like there's just SO MUCH TO DO and SEE! She naps for about 30 minutes in the morning 45 minutes around 1 pm, and 30 minutes in the afternoon (and that's if I'm lucky!).

Overall health:

• At her last check-up she was 16 pounds 5 oz and 21.3 inch long.
• Acid reflux is completely gone! Yay!
• No diaper rash, skin problems or any other health issues. 

Milestones:

• Tried solid foods & rice cereal.
• Laughed continuously for 3 minutes.
• Started grabbing at toys and, well, anything else within her reach. She is finally interacting with the excer-saucer toys. She is able to hold her chew toys and bring them up to her mouth all on her own, and she doesn't poke her eye with the teething giraffe anymore. 
• Managed to put her foot in her mouth (hey, it's quite an achievement!).
• Started noticing the dog. Before she would ignore him completely, now she's squeeling when she sees him and when he comes around to check on her (and he does that all the time). 
• Was able to roll over from back to side and from belly to side. But only a couple of times, for the most part she is still like beetle on her back. 
• She discovered her tongue and all the weird stuff you can do with it. 
• She is now able to sit in her washPOD all by herself without any support.

What else is new?

• She doesn't fall asleep in the stroller when we're taking a walk anymore. Instead, she looks around. Trees are her new thing, she is amazed by the them. 
• She had a picnic with her grandparents at Niagara Falls, and loved the trees there, too.
• She enjoys me reading to her playing cartoons on Amazon Vine. I try not to let her watch cartoons too much (maybe 15 minutes a day?), but it's definitely a fun time for her. 

Reading to your baby

We started reading to Victoria when she was still in my womb. We made our little story time a daily habit. I talked to her a lot when she was still in my belly, so she knew the sound of my voice well, but I also decided it was important for her to hear Jaesung (my husband) speak, and so every day I would bring a book, place it firmly in his hands and demand our story time. As busy as he always is with all the dental school stuff, I could tell he enjoyed it a lot, too, even though he probably wouldn't admit it. Eventually, he'd pick a book and "initiate" the story time himself. I believe it made him feel needed, and I think it was an important bonding experience. But hey, we're here to talk about reading to babies, not about my husband, right? :) 

After Victoria was born, we continued on with our little tradition. Of course, it wasn't easy at first (OK, more like impossible!). She was too small, too fragile and too.. well, uninterested, at the beginning. We would still try to read to her, but not as much as before. It wasn't until she was about 3 months old when we picked it up again, and she seems to love it now. 

It is truly amazing to sit there and watch my husband read to Victoria. This tiny little creature sitting in her dad's lap, staring at the colorful pictures with interest and amazement. I love those little moments! I love reading to her myself, observing her reactions as I point to different pictures, seeing her turn her head occasionally towards the sound of my voice and then turning her attention back to the book. It's such an amazing experience. 

Being a book blogger of 5 years and an avid reader, it is very important to me that my daughter grows up to be a reader herself. Lucky for me, I have plenty of books I can read to her (books aren't cheap, I think we all know that). Being able to receive free children's books is a huge privilege and I'm grateful for each and every single one of them. 

If you wonder about benefits of reading to your baby, or when is a good time to start, here's some information & tips I hope you'll find helpful:

• Reading to your baby is an important form of stimulation and it's never too early to start. Fetuses recognize their mother's voice from the womb. Newborn babies love hearing your voice. Reading to your toddler will help develop listening skills, stimulate interest in sounds, build memory, vocabulary, and give your child information about the surrounding world. 
• It's also a phenomenal bonding time and a great opportunity to cuddle and enjoy something together. Turn it into a daily routine, and your child will eventually start demanding story time himself. 
• Reading introduces your baby to new concepts and teaches them about colors, shapes, numbers and ideas in a fun way. 
• Board books and picture books with bold, colorful illustrations are sure to spark your baby's interest and help him focus on the book. He won't understand the story just yet, but he'll enjoy listening to your voice. Try reading to him using different, silly voices to make it more fun. Repetition is your friend - it will help familiarize your child with different words and, eventually, help improve his language skills. 
• It's scientifically proven that children that are read to at an early age, are smarter. They learn to read earlier and more easily, and their communication and learning skills develop at a much younger age. Remember, your baby is like a sponge, the habits he'll learn at a very young age will likely stay with him forever. 
• Cuddling with mommy + listening to mommy's voice + seeing colorful pictures = positive experience that will solidify your child's love for books.