Late Summer and Beyond... (August 2012)

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 Late Summer and Beyond...

It is hard to believe that my daughter is turning 1 year old in a few months! As her big day approaches, I will spend most of my time concentrating on keeping her entertained and planning a small get together.  Since we will be on vacation this month, I wanted to suggest a few things that I thought would be convenient for new moms for the late summer. 

My quick and easy picnic:

I have no time for big meals, but most of our last picnic shown here was ready to serve.

















This is great for an afternoon lounging in a park or an outdoor concert.  I also included bottled water and vitamin water. This can be served for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
Sandwich: Honey glazed turkey and Havarti cheese slices, mayonnaise, whole wheat bread
Regular potato salad, store bought.
Salad: Baby spinach, tomato, onion, Cape Cod brand raspberry vinaigrette dressing
Dole fruit cup
V8 juice
Desert: red raspberries, Cool Whip or whipped cream

Belly-Jeans.com:  How are those 'Mom' jeans fitting?

I recently discovered a very useful website for postpartum women looking to alter their old, pre-pregnancy jeans that don't quite fit anymore. This company recognizes that a lot of women are tired of ill fitting maternity jeans as well, or were never able to find the right fitting jeans to fit their waist!

The website www.Belly-Jeans.com is owned by another 'mompreneur', Cheryl Holst, who, after her 5th pregnancy, decided to use her sewing skills to make her jeans more comfortable during, and after, her pregnancy.


Cheryl can convert almost any pair of jeans into comfortable maternity jeans using a special elastic band.  She offers different styles, fabric choices and other sewing services such as V-Fly extension, hemming and patching.  She can also convert shorts, skirts and other 'jean-cut' style pants.



The average belly-jean maternity conversion runs $20-$25 per pair of jeans (not including shipping).  If you are looking to convert some old or new jeans to fit you better in the waist, check out her site and salvage your favorite jeans! Don't forget to mention NetworkforMoms.org!

Here is a pair of my old jeans altered by Belly-Jeans to fit my postpartum waistline.  As you can see, my Belly-Jeans have the fun waistband color that will compliment my baby's clothes and my stroller.  I chose the "Full Demi-Band" style with the V-fly alteration. I just love my Belly-Jeans and can't wait to get more jeans altered!  Thanks Cheryl!


Beach day: Baby sun protection and play 'house'

We love the beach and wanted our baby to be happy and shaded this summer. So we bought this small tent and it has been wonderful.


Kidco PEAPOD Travel Tent
This is the Peapod Travel Tent.  I love the fact that it automatically sets up in seconds - it saves so much time, especially when we were at the beach. It folds up easily, protects against the sun, wind and bugs and comes with its own carrying bag (I wear it as a backpack for convenience rather than overloading my stroller) .



We used the tent at the beach and my daughter absolutely loved it!  She played in it for hours and I felt more secure with her in this tent, as opposed to a portable shade tent that is more difficult to set up.  My daughter's version is no longer sold, however, they do have the Plus version. Here is where you can get the Kidco Peapod Plus Travel Tent for @ $100: http://www.diapers.com/p/kidco-peapod-plus-kiwi-812735




Here are pictures of my daughter playing in the tent with the side unzipped. As you can see, she fits very comfortably under the tent and loves her new little play 'house'. There is plenty of room for her toys and, possibly, a playmate!



 
Singing Beach, Manchester-By-The-Sea, MA





















I also used a swaddle blanket to cover a few of the vented sides for extra sun protection. I wanted to point out that I do not use this as a bed since it does not have a breathable mattress (it has been advertised in the past as a "travel bed"). I only use it to have my daughter play in with her toys while I watch with enjoyment.

I hope my fellow moms find these suggestions useful, especially if you are like us and will have a "staycation" this year with your little one. Remember, vacations should reduce stress, not create more stress, so take your time in the final stretch of this summer to enjoy life and create positive memories.

Have a great end of summer everyone!

Joy E.
Posted August 8, 2012
*Post updated May 10, 2014

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