Leanne, Author at Rave & Review

A sleep sack for all seasons from Merino Kids

My first child was born during an uncharacteristically hot June. During her first months, our main goal was to keep her covered, but yet keep her cool enough during naps and at nighttime. As for my son, he was born at the very end of September and the goal was just the opposite as we struggled to keep him warm during the day and at night.

Ironically, the same product that would have worked for my June baby would have also been the one that I would recommend for my September baby. This, my friends, is the brilliance of Merino wool, a natural body temperature regulator that helps keeps your baby cool during hot weather and warm during cold weather. 100% natural, itch-free and allergy-safe, Merino wool captures and circulates air to insulate your child when the room temperature falls, but also releases excess body heat and moisture as the room temperature rises. This means your baby stays warm and dry without overheating.

6 tips to getting a good night’s sleep with Restonic {ComfortCare Select mattress}

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about beds. Namely, that I don’t spend nearly enough time in mine. But, with full days and late nights trying to work after the kiddos go to sleep, paired with middle of the night feedings and early mornings doing school drop-offs, sleep has been somewhat elusive these past few months. Such is the life of a mom of three.

Of course, all the tiredness is more than worth it when you wake up to this smiling face. But, that doesn’t mean I have to just have to accept that I’m just not going to get good sleep. It turns out there are plenty of ways I can at least enhance the little bit of shut eye that I do get and wake feeling less like a zombie every morning.

Here are just a few suggestions you can use to make every night as restful as possible.

Lundby makeover: creating a spa retreat

Who doesn't love a good spa getaway every once in a while? Mrs. Lundby in particular loves a very special spa by the beach that Mr. Lundby took her to when they were first married, and she has been dying to go back ever since.

But, with all the renovations they have been doing to their new house, they aren't really able to take an extended vacation right now, so they did the next best thing for her for Mother's Day: they brought the spa to their house.

Where we were: Greenlake, WA

I love Greenlake in Seattle, WA. The area around the lake, the lake itself, and the walking path that surrounds it all have had my heart since I was little. Headshot Growing up, my family used to visit Greenlake almost as often as we visited parks within walking distance of our house, and it will always remind me of playing in the wading pools {which have since been removed, probably as a result of the thousands of stubbed toes I gave myself growing up}, playing on the playground, and renting paddle boats {happily, these are still there} during long summer days.

Clean up in seconds with Lay-N-Go ~ a totable mat for everyone in the family

Now that we’re in the early stages of re-baby proofing our house for our new little one, I’m realizing more than ever all the small choking hazards that litter my floor as the kids play. Since getting rid of toys that have small parts isn’t really an option with a LEGO fanatic and a whole house full of miniatures, I’ve been brainstorming ways to corral the toys and keep the little ones safe. I’d be mad at all the little pieces everywhere but it’s not entirely their fault as our current system involves dumping bins which causes small pieces to scatter. And, in all fairness, they are actually quite good about picking up the pieces when they are done playing, which is why the bin system works for us. It was an obvious improvement upon the toy box system which had little pieces in thin layers along the bottom of the box, but clearly neither option is going to work well once we have a mobile baby.

While looking for something that allowed the small toys to be put away while still allowing them to be accessible, I found an awesome company called Lay-N-Go. Not only do they solve the problem of how to store all those small toys, their products also add the benefit of giving the kids a safe place to play with those toys, and an easy clean-up process.

Galt Toys Playnest & Gym: the perfect foldable and portable activity center

If you knew any of my children as babies, you know how much they hated to be set down on their backs. All three of them were the happiest, smiley-est babies until you would dare set them down flat on their back as experts recommend. Needless to say, “back is best” is not a common phrase around here.

But, what’s a busy mom to do that sometimes needs use of both hands and can’t wear her baby 100% of the time? She gets this: This, my friends, is a happy baby in the Galt Playnest & Gym – Farm. This educational and colorful multi-sensory activity center gives me the perfect place to set baby down without having to listen to her increasingly louder objections. I dare say she even {gasp} enjoys the Playnest, and I hope this love continues to grow during all the stages of play.

This peaceful moment brought to you by Galt Toys.

Make any day magical with Pacific Play Tents

If I were designing the perfect childhood toy, it would have two major components. First, it would inspire imaginations to encourage make believe and storytelling. Second, it would be open-ended so it could be played with in numerous ways, which means it would be played with often and be a beloved toy for years.

Take the Painting Teepee from Pacific Play Tents for example. This clearly isn’t just a high quality teepee, it’s a childhood haven. As you can see, it's the kiddos fort.

Celebrate the power of play with the Gymboree Hop ‘N’ Roll collection

I know play time for children is vital as it helps them learn about the world around them in ways I can’t teach them in a book, so I always make play time a priority. From unstructured playtime to working together to create a talent show, a fairy garden, or a circus, we fill our days with as much play as we possibly can. So, I was a little taken aback the other day when I told my kids I wanted them to wear play clothes if they were going to be out digging in our backyard and they both looked at me like I was crazy. “Do you mean dress up clothes?” my daughter asked. Clearly, they aren’t of my generation where we had two categories of clothing: play clothes and fancy. To my kids, everything is play clothes, even if they really shouldn’t be. We’re talking fancy holiday dresses year-round at the beach and white button-up shirts and dresses while gardening. After looking through their closets it became really clear that they could both use some new “play clothes” for summer that would allow them to swing on monkey bars, skip rope, and do all the other things kids should be doing all day without worrying about restrictive clothing getting in the way.

Meet the beautiful Samsung Galaxy Alpha from AT&T

Love the iPhone styling but just don’t love the iPhone? Join the club.

Introducing the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, the sleek and smart Android phone that has the best of both worlds. I will admit I’ve had a mixed history with Android in the past as I love my Android tablet but I can’t quite give up the functionality of my Windows phone and how well it pairs with my PC, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the Galaxy Alpha design and all the premium features built in.

AT&T Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Did you read our review of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha? The sleek and smart Android phone is not only beautiful, it's also full of impressive features that can keep any tech-y happy. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha really nails the sleek and modern look with a crisp 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD display that delivers HD clarity and rich colors paired with a gorgeous metal frame.