Great finds!

Two great finds this weekend!

ONE:
I have been finding it more and more challenging to get around with all Max's stuff. We have a great Columbia diaper bag (we registered for it at Toys R Us because Ross said he actually wouldn't mind carrying it around), it holds all our stuff and has an insulated end which carries a little bit of cold stuff. It was a great thing when Max was little and I could just throw it into the stroller. Unfortunately now, we are moving around a lot more and we don't always have the stroller with us. I have a great JJ Cole bag that I throw a few things into, but then I'm also carrying a little cooler bag with food and drinks in it and then if I end up carrying Max (with or without the ergo carrier) it is getting more and more challenging.

So, I started searching around for backpacks. I have a few and I love my MEC backpack. But, I figured there MUST be something out there that is designed specifically for kids. Lo and behold, I found the Baby Sherpa. It was designed by a couple in Manitoba and as luck would have it, there was an article in the Costco magazine (May/June 2009) that profiled it. Which is a really good thing, as it is quite difficult to find on their website.

Here's the details on it:

• Deep inside compartment with zippered pocket
  
• Soft sided cooler uniquely integrated into the diaper bag backpack to store bottles, snacks, beverages, medication (holds 6-8 canned beverages)
  
• Modular insulated pocket holds large-size brand name bottles, mesh water bottle holder
  
• Padded pocket to hold a video camera or breast pump
  
• Secure, interior parent zip pouch for wallet and a key clasp
  
• "Tough as nails" zippers feature easy pulls
  
• Oversized back pack diaper bag change pad 26" x 17"
  
• Cell phone/Palm Pilot pouch, sunglass case
  
• First aid compartment
  
• Reflective tape for safety
  
• Waist, sternum strap and ergonomically designed padded shoulder straps which feature a key clip and passy saver
• Bungee X cord on back is great for jackets, toys, blankets
  
• Heavy duty lug handle
  
• Loops for hanging up the diaper bag backpack
  
• Water resistant
  
• Easy clean
  
• Toy loops
  
• 30 day manufacturers warranty
• Fits as carry-on luggage for all airlines

There is a smaller version, they say it's a 3/4 size, but I think it looks smaller than that and of course, I carry a lot of stuff (surprised? - be nice on the comments please... heeheehee).

I should be receiving it in 7-10 days.

Here's the pic:

$79 at Costco.ca (delivered free):
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=10299186&whse=BCCA&Ne=4000000&eCat=BCCA|20373&N=4009492&Mo=12&No=2&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&cat=20440&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-CA&Sp=C&topnav=

$89 at www.babysherpa.com (also delivered free):
http://www.babysherpa.com/camobabysherpadiaperbackpack.html


TWO:
http://www.lundberg.com/products/cakes/organic_salt_free_brown_rice_cakes.aspx


Normal sized brown rice cakes with absolutely NOTHING added to them! Yay! I just like the fact that they are salt free, but they are also gluten free and wheat free (we eat both of those things, normally). A huge shoutout to this company for producing such a healthy snack!

I find there is so much salt added into prepared snacks in general and even more apalling is the amount of salt that is added into kids (& baby) snacks! They only know what we teach and show them and if we only give them healthy snacks then they are perfectly happy with that. If you give them high salt and high sugar snacks... guess what? They are going to refuse to eat the healthy fruits, veggies, grains, etc until you give in and give them what they want!

I guess I am lucky, I grew up with a mom that made a lot of our snacks and foods without any salt at all. So I really enjoyed my food without salt in it, in fact, I find most prepared foods are way too salty for my liking. It is interesting that some people think no salt must mean bland... there are a lot of ways of adding taste to food without adding salt! Have you heard about the hypertension (high blood pressure) epidemic?! I'll leave the rant about sodium and it's effects on our health and blood pressure for my P2 Conditioning blog - hehehe. Not that plain brown rice cakes are my favourite snack, but add a piece of cheese and it is! Once Max is old enough, I'm sure we'll do peanut butter and other fun toppings. For now, he really likes to eat them as they are. If no one tells him he isn't supposed to like them, he'll never even know. Shhhhh!


A bit of background so you can appreciate why this is such a great find. The Heinz REGULAR Rice Snacks are one of the BEST snacks for kids. I LOVE that there is absolutely NOTHING other than ORGANIC BROWN RICE listed as ingredients (in the REGULAR, honey has all kinds of things in it... Surprisingly, not just honey, uuuggh). But, there are about 20 little tiny rice cakes in there and they cost about $2.50 each, I think I may have found them a few times for $2. TOTALLY worth it if you can feed your child something healthy, but if they eat a lot, I can imagine that this could get rather expensive. I love giving these to Max in the car on the way home from daycare or on the way home from anywhere, and he can snack away. They aren't sticky and they are healthy, YAY!

In a world full of processed snacks with salt, sugar, preservatives and all sorts of who-knows-what-it-is ingredients, I am so happy to find something like this. I have been looking for months for a "grown-up" version of the Heinz Toddler Rice Snacks, as Max has been growing and eats more and more everyday.

Just one of the reasons I enjoy stopping in at Whole Foods and purusing the aisle's every once in a while.