Zone Perfect Sweet and Salty Bars

I have tried several soy bars in the past and many of them ended up in the trash. I can't get used to the flavor. Last night; however, I received a free Sweet and Salty Zone Perfect bar in the mail. I ate it for breakfast this morning and loved it. It had cashews and pretzels in it! Not only did it taste great, it filled me up. I wasn't as hungry at lunch time as I usually am. I would definitely recommend these to people looking for a healthy option.
Right now you can get a free one for yourself and a friend on their facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/ZonePerfect?ref=ts

Hevea Pacifiers

I was in the market for a pacifier that my son would use in order to encourage some self soothing. He was and is very dependent upon me to soothe him and would often try to nurse in order to soothe or go to sleep. I definitely do not want to teach my children to eat in order to calm down when they are upset. We all know that natural and organic products are the way to go when it comes to our children. Unfortunately they are not always easy to find, especially when it comes to pacifiers. So I bought all the regular brands and tried them out. He not only wouldn't take them, but would scream hysterically if one was ever placed in his mouth. It was harder to calm him down from the pacifier than from what had originally upset him. When I received a natural rubber pacifier to review from Hevea, I was anxious to try it out. The one I received had a bulb shaped nipple which is unlike any I have seen. I sterilized it per the instructions and pulled on all the pieces to make sure there were no cracks or defects. I determined it to be in good shape, but it still had the strong "new rubber" smell. I laid it near my son's face while he was nursing so he could get used to the smell. When I offered it to him the first time he didn't scream. Huge success! He even tried to keep it in his mouth. My son is tongue tied (meaning the frenulum under his tongue goes all the way to the tip, preventing him from lifting it very high) so when he would try to suck on the pacifier the bulb would re-inflate and it would shoot out of his mouth. I emailed the company about this and asked if they had any advice for me. They immediately sent me out their orthodontic style pacifier to try. How's that for customer service?! He liked this pacifier and was able to keep it in his mouth a little better. He is still not a pacifier baby, but he does like to use the Hevea pacifiers when he is happy (don't dare offer him any type if he is upset!) He also loves to turn them around and use the handle as a teether.
Here is the product description given by their company;
The Hevea pacifier is made of 100% pure natural rubber from the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis.

• 100% natural rubber latex
• Hygienic one piece design – no joints, cracks or edges
• Soft material and ergonomic shape – soft and gentle against baby’s face
• Doesn’t leave marks, prevents vacuum around the mouth
• Sustainably produced
• Recycled and biodegradable packaging materials
• Meets EU standard EN1400, US regulations CPSIA & AUS regulation AS 2432-1991
• No PVC, no BPA, no phthalates, no artificial colors

The company also sells teethers, lanyards, and travel bags.
Update: We had my sons tongue clipped after I originally posted this on my previous blog. What a huge improvement. He was able to nurse easier which eased his frustration (and no more intense pain for me) and he began to use his pacifiers more often.
Also, the company recently added bath toys to their available products. They are SO CUTE! I can't wait to get them all!

Check them out at heveababyusa.com and on facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/heveausa.

Nook Color

I received a Nook Color for Christmas in 2010. I had done a lot of research on ereaders for other people who were looking for them and really like the features the Nook Color offered, as it could be used for more than just reading.
As a mother, I loved the "Read to Me" feature that allows my children to have great Children's Literature read to them even when I am unable to. My two year old was easily able to find her books and flip through the pages using this feature. She loves it. Recently they advertised that the books will become more interactive, but I do not have any of these books yet.
The device is wifi accessible so I am able to download books directly from the device and they are ready immediately. I can also check facebook and twitter, upload quotes and suggestions directly to my profiles, and it now has an email option. I have not yet used the email feature.
Recently apps became available and I am excited about being able to use it more like a tablet. I hope the quantity of apps available grows quickly. We downloaded "The Going to Bed Book" app by Sandra Boynton. It is so much fun! You can make the characters move, turn on water, pop bubbles, write in the steam on the bathroom mirror, etc...
The "Lend Me" feature was another selling point for me, although I have yet to use it. I think this is a great idea, but many of the books I would like to read are not available to lend. Right now they mostly consist of informative books like books about gardening or teaching rather than books by famous authors. If you have a library card to a library that has ebooks, you can check them out directly to your device for a two week period. Again, I am having trouble finding the books I am interested in reading available from libraries at this time.
This is the only ereader I have used, and would like to review other brands in the future. I am very interested in the Kindle as a simple reading only option. You would not be distracted by the other features embedded. It looks like it would be great for outdoors as it is not back lit, but not good for reading in bed when your spouse is asleep.