Find Part One of my FAQ here.

Where should we stay?

We stayed at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. It’s the high end of the three Disney hotel properties, and I really think it’s worth the extra bucks. I loved the decor - dark wood, vaulted ceilings, very subtle Disney themes. It felt far more adult than I expected, which was refreshing.

The other two Disney hotels are also very convenient to the parks, but when I saw that the Grand Californian actually had a private entrance to Disney’s California Adventure, I was sold. Especially when the five of us were totally wiped out and able to take a much-needed short cut back to the hotel (vice carrying two sleeping children through Downtown Disney as we’d done the night before).

There are other hotels in the surrounding area with access to the parks, but considering the time value of money, I’m sold on the Grand Californian.

Should we bring our own stroller?

I was impressed, as only a mom of small, whiny children can be, by the stroller rental service at the parks. They don’t have double strollers, but one single stroller is $12/day, two for $22.

The strollers are joggers, easily maneuverable and quite comfortable for babies who can sit unsupported all the way up to pre-schoolers. In fact, Tacy and CJ perched in our two strollers to watch Fantasmic! and the fireworks display.

I especially liked that we could return the strollers, hang on to our placards (each stroller has a placard with your name on it, which reduces the potential for mix-ups) and receipt, leave the park for a while and then come back and get new strollers without waiting in line again or paying a second time.

The only drawback is that you must turn in the strollers before leaving the park, which means that you might end up carrying sleeping children all the way back through Downtown Disney, as we wearily did after the fireworks.

Is the food any good?

Surprisingly good!  At Disneyland, we had dinner at the French Market restaurant in New Orleans Square.  I had the jambalaya, and Kyle had the citrus chicken.  The girls shared a plate of macaroni and cheese (which comes with carrot and celery sticks), and Oliver chowed down on shreds of chicken from Kyle’s plate and mine too.  We also splurged on dessert - a chocolate mousse torte for the ladies, and cheesecake topped with red raspberries for Kyle.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the Storyteller’s Cafe at the hotel, accompanied by Chip ‘n Dale.  It was probably the most pleasant sit-down meal we’ve ever enjoyed with all three children, thanks to intermittent visits from the character, plus a post-meal dance parade around the entire cafe.  My only gripe?  The food is pricey - $25 for the buffet for adults, $12 or so for kids.  We ordered off the menu, and in retrospect, we should have ponied up for the buffet and taken advantage of the selection - like Eggs Benedict, sauteed asparagus, and smoked salmon with capers.

Then we had a late lunch at the Wine Country Trattoria at Disney’s California Adventure.  I had a caprese sandwich, and Kyle had a meatball sandwich - both of which were delicious.  It was pretty chilly out that day, so we forewent the adult beverages in favor of hot tea.

How much is this vacation going to cost me anyway?

Believe it or not, I’ve got some good news for you there.  Our airfare was surprisingly low, and because there are several different airports in the general area, you can shop around for flights.  Just make sure your chosen car rental company has a location at each airport; we learned that lesson the hard way.

Disneyland has also begun a new promotion that makes for an ideal vacation.  Buy a three-night hotel and three-day ticket package, and get two more nights and two more days absolutely free.  The reason I think this offer is so fantastic is that it lets you relax more as you explore the parks.  Instead of feeling compelled to see and do everything in only a couple days, you’ve got five full days to leisurely make your way to every corner of both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure.  And aren’t vacations supposed to be leisurely?

Granted, a five-day stay means you’ve got more days’ worth of meals to buy and more time to be tempted by souvenirs.  But you can return home knowing that you’ve really made the most of your time at the parks.

In short, for a family of four - with the cool new promotion (get the details here) - with airfare and car rental and meals and a few sets of souvenir mouse ears, I’d say you’re looking at around $3500.

But like I said in Part One, it’s an experience for the whole family, and unless you live in SoCal, it’s not one you’ll repeat every year - or even every other year.  Plus, you’re just not going to find a comparable family vacation for less.  Certainly not one that’s anywhere near as memorable as a trip to Disneyland.

For more information on Disneyland promotions, check out their Special Offers page.  And if you’ve got any more questions about our Disneyland experience, please email me directly at mothergoosemouse AT gmail DOT com.

Okay, so no one has actually asked me these questions yet.  But these are the questions I asked (or wish I’d asked) before going to Disneyland, and I hope my answers will help others who are planning a family vacation to this classic and timeless resort.

Are my kids too young/too old to enjoy Disneyland?

Personally, I don’t think anyone is too old to enjoy Disneyland.

Too young though…that depends on your situation.  For example, I know Oliver (14 months) won’t remember this trip to Disneyland at all.  Tacy (7 years old) will remember it well, and CJ (4 years old) will remember certain highlights, especially with the aid of pictures and video.

But we’ll remember CJ’s and Oliver’s enjoyment of the trip, their reactions to everything that they saw and did.  As much fun as I know Tacy had at Disneyland, I think CJ’s and Oliver’s experiences were more magical, which made them even more fun for Kyle and me to observe.

So if you’ve got an only child, I’d say wait until they’re three or four, so that they can get the full effect and you can marvel at the experience through their eyes.  But if you’ve got two or more, don’t wait for the youngest to be old enough to remember the trip.

What are the must-ride rides?

I love rides.  I don’t care how kiddie they are, rides at a big park like Disneyland are all awesome.

But I did have a few top favorites that I’d highly recommend.  First, at Disneyland, “It’s a Small World” is non-negotiable.  It’s integral to the Disney experience.  The ride itself, inside and out, is just beautiful, and I love the subtle cultural messages.  Plus, if you’re there on a day like the one when we visited, a nice cool boat ride is just the ticket.

Also at Disneyland, if you have a fan of the Disney Princesses, check out the Disney Princesses Fantasy Faire.  Even if you don’t wait in line to meet and greet the Princesses in person, go around the corner to the merchandise area and spot them as they make their entrances and exits.  CJ waved at them all like she was hailing a cab, and Belle - still in character - greeted her: “Hello!  Have you read any good books lately?”

Over at Disney’s California Adventure, I had to forego the big rides in favor of those the kids could enjoy too.  But I didn’t expect to love Toy Story Mania! as much as I did; I insisted that we ride it twice.  It’s a 3D virtual midway, where you “shoot” targets and a small screen mounted on your car totals up your points.  Absolutely addictive.

My other top favorite at Disney’s California Adventure was Soarin’ Over California.  It’s a simulated hang glider that suspends you over a hemispheric screen with footage of gorgeous parts of California - sail over orange groves (you can smell the oranges!), up the cliffs of Yosemite, skimming the ocean past the surfers, down the ski slopes.  I’ve never been on another ride like it.

What’s FASTPASS?  Does it cost extra?

One area in which I did not adequately do my homework before our trip was FASTPASS.  I thought it was a premium service, so I dismissed it as a nice-to-have.

FASTPASS is basically a virtual line.  At the rides which feature FASTPASS, you can get a ticket that tells you to return to the ride during a certain window of time, and when you do, get in the FASTPASS line instead of the regular line.  This means that you will likely wait somewhere between 5-15 minutes to get on the ride, instead of 45-90 minutes or more.  But it also means that you need to plan out your day, so that when you get a FASTPASS ticket for a particular ride, you can be sure to make it back there during the window.

While FASTPASS is found at rides with height requirements that leave out many younger kids (such as California Screamin’, with a 48″ height requirement), it’s also available at rides with lower height requirements like 40″, which both Tacy and CJ met.  I really could have used FASTPASS when the three of us went on Soarin’ Over California, and it would have allowed Kyle and me to enjoy some of the bigger rides ourselves without splitting up the family for an hour or more while one of us waited in line.

What are the must-see shows?

I have to admit that I’ve never really been one for seeing the shows at amusement parks.  Why sit on bleachers when there are roller coasters waiting to be tamed?  Even when we went on family vacations to Disney World and Disneyland, we stuck to the rides.

But this trip to Disneyland really changed my mind about shows.  I was fairly well blown away by every one we saw.

The newest one, which just debuted the day before we saw it, is Celebrate! A Street Party with costumed street dancers and dancing characters.  High energy, with lots of crowd involvement - it had even Kyle and me dancing and singing along, and we typically only do that at Depeche Mode and Rush concerts.  But even better was how much Tacy and CJ got into the fun, thanks to the engaging performers.  I would absolutely recommend camping out twenty minutes ahead of showtime to get a front row spot for Celebrate!

Also at Disneyland, we were amazed by the theatrics of Fantasmic!, the evening show featuring Mickey Mouse, which takes place just before the fireworks display.  The effects are incredible, in particular the projection of vintage Disney film sequences onto huge sheets of water.

Over at Disney’s California Adventure, we saw the stage production of Aladdin.  It’s a 40-minute show, and all five of us were riveted.  The costumes were beautiful, the animatronics were lifelike, and the actors were talented and entertaining.  I was genuinely impressed.

As an aside, I haven’t taken the kids to any stage shows yet.  I knew Tacy would do well at Aladdin, but I wasn’t sure about CJ - that’s a lot of sitting for a four year old.  But since she knew the story and was able to follow along easily, it was an ideal first stage show for her.

Go see the shows.  They’re absolutely worth the time.

Next up: the logistics and costs associated with a trip to Disneyland.

I understand the appeal of the Disney Princesses, I really do.  What little girl (and, truth be told, her mother) wouldn’t love to be beautiful and adored and have a life story that ends with “happily ever after”?  It’s no wonder the majority of the pre-K set loves to put on those princess dresses and twirl around, waving their magic wands…until they accidentally swat their younger brother in the face and we have to take the wand away.

Not that such a thing has ever happened around here.

CJ loves dolls.  More specifically, she loves any doll that has hair that can be combed.  Actually, she’ll happily whack away at a stuffed animal with her hairbrush, but dolls with nice long hair…those are her favorites.

She doesn’t cut their hair, thankfully.  But she does like to spray conditioner on it and then comb and comb, and comb some more.  I wish she’d comb her own hair so willingly.

And while she does adore the Disney Princesses, she’s not exactly the girliest girl out there.  So when I was offered a Disney Princess doll for her to comb enjoy, it was no contest.  Mulan is my girl’s kind of princess.

Even though Mulan’s not really a princess.  Just a badass soldier who loves her daddy and oh, by the way, saved China from the Huns.  Not to mention winning over Li Shang, who has got to be the hottest cartoon man ever drawn.

Naturally, CJ loves her new Mulan doll.  She wants to take her everywhere, which means that Mulan has to be strapped into the car seat belt along with CJ.  She’s gone easier on the spray conditioner, which I certainly appreciate, even if Mulan doesn’t know the difference.

I’m impressed by the size of the doll and her elaborate costume.  But what I like best about her is that she’s not so fancy that I feel as if she needs to be put up on a high shelf, where CJ can look but not touch.  Mulan is meant for playing, for pretending, for being a constant companion.

So while Mulan is my girl’s kind of princess, she’s also my kind of doll.

Find Mulan and the other Disney Princess & Friends dolls at Disney.com for $16.95 (or 2 for $25!)

It’s been a year or so since Tacy finally started sleeping with the lights off.  For a long time, she needed the overhead light.  Then a plugged-in Hello Kitty night light would suffice.  Now we turn off all the lights, but the door still has to remain open.

Meanwhile, CJ is still in the stage where she needs the light on.  Fortunately in her case, it’s just the bedside lamp that needs to remain on all night long.  Still, just a nightlight doesn’t cut it.  Not even the super cool PalPODzzz from SYLVANIA.

Don’t get me wrong; she adores her ladybug - which functions as both a nightlight and a rechargeable flashlight - and the little green leaf upon which the ladybug rests while she’s charging her batteries.  It’s the cutest darned nightlight I’ve ever seen, also available in a rocker ship design, and I hope SYLVANIA will come out with a few more models.  I’d gladly buy one for each child.

Why do I love this nightlight?  A few key reasons:

1. It plugs into the wall, just like a regular nightlight, but the “pod” rests on a surface like a night table or dresser.  One aspect of traditional nightlights that I don’t like is that kids can yank them out of the socket, leaving a vacant outlet that’s just waiting for a baby to jam an errant hair clip in there.  With the PalPODzzz, just plug it into an outlet that’s covered by a piece of furniture.  Potential problem successfully avoided.

2. It includes a rechargeable flashlight.  If you’re a parent of children older than three, there’s really no further explanation required.  But I’ll happily indulge those who haven’t yet groped for their emergency flashlight during a thunderstorm only to discover that it’s been relocated to a child’s bedroom, where it was left on all night and the batteries are completely drained.  Oh, and of course, there are no replacement batteries anywhere in the house.

Bottom line: A flashlight that doesn’t take batteries and is specifically intended for the kids = TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME.

3. It’s cute whether it’s plugged in or not, whether it’s night time or not.  So much kiddie decor is just awful.  Even that damn Hello Kitty nightlight Tacy used went against my “no licensed characters” rule, but in the interest of sleep preservation, I did what I had to do.  The PalPODzzz nightlights are decor-neutral and haven’t been infiltrated by Dora or SpongeBob.  God knows I get enough of them on TV; I do not need them in my kids’ rooms.

What don’t I like?  That CJ can drop the ladybug flashlight behind her bed so that I have to lift her entire mattress off the platform in order to retrieve it.  But I suppose that’s actually a good thing; it reminds me that I need to change her sheets.  Plus, she could do the same with any other flashlight (and has).

Of course I wish that PalPODzzz had been the magical solution to the energy drain of CJ’s bedside lamp, but really, that’s too much to expect from a cute little ladybug.

But knowing that my emergency flashlight can rest easy in its kitchen drawer?  That’s more than enough for me.

Find out more about SYLVANIA PalPODzzz from the other PBN bloggers who checked out these nightlight/flashlight combos!  Or if I’ve already convinced you that you must have one, find them on Amazon!

I’m always on the lookout for new options in kids’ clothing.  I love my old standbys where I know I can get a great pair of jammies or a comfy tee, but it’s so much fun to make discoveries and bookmark them to check occasionally.

One of my new bookmarks is 77 Kids, the kids’ clothing offshoot of American Eagle Outfitters.  I’ve always liked AE for their truly casual clothes.  It’s their niche, and they don’t stray from it, even in their dresses and button-down shirts.  Plus, their clothes are comfortable and affordably priced.  Really, you can’t beat that.

So I was excited to check out 77 Kids.  They don’t carry baby clothes - their sizes start at 2 and go up to a kids’ 12 - which meant that I’d get to pick out a couple items for Tacy and CJ.

Tacy has reached the jeans-and-a-tee-shirt stage, which makes her easy to buy for, if a little frustrating to a mother like me who looks wistfully at coordinated pieces and knows that they’ll just end up as part of separate outfits.  I limited my window-shopping to the girls’ tee section, since I knew that’s what would make her happiest, and I ended up going with the pink dip-dye tee.

CJ, on the other hand, loves dresses.  That’s not to say that she behaves like a little lady when she’s wearing one, but she usually prefers them over pants.  I found a solid color smocked style in soft cotton that I knew she’d love.  It’s billed as a sundress, but it looked like it could be paired with a cardigan for those 50-degree days we often see in the winter.  I picked out the gladiola pink sundress since it was a color that could go from winter to summer.

The ordering process was smooth, delivery was quick, and the girls fell all over themselves when I told them it was a package for both of them.  Tacy wanted to put on the tee immediately, but both she and CJ grudgingly agreed to wait until the next day to wear their new clothes.

Both the tee and the dress are super-soft.  The dress feels like it’s a heavier weight cotton than the tee, which is a little thin.  If I were to order the tee again, I’d go up a size.  If you’ve got a skinny kiddo, go with their usual size.  But for kids who are average or tall, a larger size will give you more wear - and it won’t look like you bought a size up.  I’d advise this strategy especially for kids in the younger grades, who are liable to shoot up three inches in one year.

One suggestion I’d make to 77 Kids - have actual kids modeling the clothes on the site.  That would really help me determine whether a particular style would work for us and if we ought to size up or down.

The dress fits CJ perfectly and will definitely take her through the summer and into next fall, even though I only got her a size four.  It’s not so short that she’ll outgrow it, and there’s plenty of give in the material.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she could still wear it next summer, maybe with a pair of leggings underneath.

Neither item I bought was on sale, and yet the prices were still reasonable, even for kids’ clothes which tend to be a racket considering how briefly they’re worn.  If they’re both still wearing these items next fall, I’ll count this as a good deal.

I’d definitely recommend 77 Kids.  As the kids’ corollary to AE, you can expect comfy casual clothes at decent prices.  Which is really what most of us moms are after anyway.

*Thanks to 77 Kids for sending me a $50 gift card to try out their clothes and evaluate their ordering process

Sometime in the the early years of our marriage, Kyle and I bought a white noise machine from Brookstone.  It was originally intended to help block out the sound of his snoring, but soon it served multiple purposes - masking noises from surrounding apartments, distracting him from the sound of MY snoring when I was pregnant, and muffling the whimpering of our babies as each one learned to self-soothe.

Now we take it on every trip, and when I travel alone, I miss the low whirring sound like snow on analog TV channels that are just out of range of the rabbit ears.

Cloud B knows all about sleep.  Not only do they provide a resource center for parents who are struggling to help their children sleep, they carry many products that are designed “to achieve a better, safer sleep for baby.”  These products, such as the LullaBag and Sleep Sheep & Friends, are “developed in consultation with an advisory board of pediatricians and sleep specialists.”

When I heard about Dozy Dolphin, part of the new Cloud B sound and light collection, I knew it would be a great fit for us.  The dolphin is a plush toy with an internal sound machine which has two ranges of sounds - cheery ones for playtime, and soothing ones for naptime or bedtime.  Plus, it’s made from bamboo, which is one of my favorite materials - amazingly soft, hypo-allergenic, and eco-friendly.  What’s not to love?

Of course, Oliver thinks Dozy Dolphin is pretty cool.  He loves any toy that makes noise, especially the soft huggable ones.  It did startle him one night when he jostled it in his sleep and the white noise came on suddenly, so I’d suggest keeping the volume pretty low when it’s time to sleep.

The girls think it’s a neat toy too.  Because it’s in Oliver’s crib, they’ve deemed it a baby toy, but really, Dozy Dolphin would be a great sleeping companion for any child.  I think it would be even better for a toddler who’s just starting to have night time fears, particularly since a toddler can manipulate the sound buttons themselves.

Come to think of it, since I’m on the road now, I’m kind of wishing I’d brought Dozy Dolphin along with me.

Dozy Dolphin is currently on sale for $24.95 (reduced from $64!) at Amazon.

When CJ was three months old, I took a two-day house-hunting trip to Colorado.  I pumped the whole time and took great pains to properly store my expressed milk.  I needn’t have bothered; by the time I was able to give it to her, it had degraded such that she didn’t want it.

Breast milk isn’t exactly hardy stuff.  It’s best when consumed directly from the source.  But since that isn’t always possible, we mamas need a better way to store it for more than a few hours.  And once we’ve spent precious time and energy pumping it, we definitely need containers that keep it from spilling or leaking.

MilkBank makes some amazing products that I wish I’d had when Tacy and CJ were babies and I was pumping regularly and sending bottles off to day care.  The MilkBank breastmilk storage system is a giant leap beyond any other storage system, be it bags or bottles.  The vacuum pump removes the remaining air at the top of the bottle and creates a tight seal, which helps the milk retain taste and nutrients.

I’ve defrosted many bags of breastmilk only to sample it myself before filling the bottle and toss it out of utter disgust.  With MilkBank, that doesn’t happen.  If there’s no air in the milk container, there’s no opportunity for contamination or spoilage.  It’s that simple.

The MilkBank bottles are also unique in their design.  Of course these bottles are BPA, phthlate and PVC free, but they have two other features that I especially love.  One, they’re triple vented.  Basically, that means there are three vents on the ring that fits over the nipple and screws onto the bottle.  The air that comes in through those three vents as the baby drinks goes into an internal tube that extends the length of the bottle, venting the air to the bottom of the bottle - not back into the milk.

Totally confused?  Just look at the picture:

Still confused?  The point here is that when the baby drinks, he’ll get milk - not air.  Less air in the baby’s tummy means less discomfort and spitting up.  Got it?

The second reason these bottles rock is that they’re leak proof.  Seriously - they are.  I’ve tried all sorts of supposedly leak proof bottles and sippy cups, and my kids were able to make every last one of them leak.  Considering Oliver mostly futzed around with the MilkBank bottle instead of drinking from it, we had a prime opportunity to test its leak potential, and I was amazed.  I want MilkBank to start making sippy cups too.

One component of MilkBank bottles that we didn’t personally test was the insulated feeding bottles.  They’re geared toward teeny babies, and they hold three ounces.  These days, Oliver can drink three ounces in a single gulp.

Also, I have to admit that although breastmilk is served at body temperature, straight from the source, my kids have always taken their formula and milk cold.  I’ve never been much for warming bottles.

But MilkBank’s website notes that “warm milk or formula provides superior nutritional absorption“.  So my school of hard knocks approach probably wasn’t in the kids’ best interest after all.  Whoops.

I wish I’d known about MilkBank when Oliver was a newborn.  I’d have pumped more and offered bottles more often.  Maybe I could have taken a break from bedtime once in the last 400-odd days.

Alas, I can’t change the past - but thanks to MilkBank’s generosity, I can help change someone else’s future!  Yes, you - I’m talking to you there, with the picky baby and the pumping aversion.

Congratulations to Sarah, lucky winner of a MilkBank feeding and storage set!

My oldest child is pretty darned good at a lot of stuff, if I may say so myself.  She’s a top reader, she swims like a fish, and I’m always amazed by what a good big sister she is.

She does struggle with a few things though, like putting her dirty clothes in the hamper and eating the same dinner as the rest of the family.  Oh, and math.  Math is a bit of a challenge for her too.

Kyle is the son of a math teacher, and I’m the daughter of an engineer.  While that might make it sound like math should come naturally to her, it actually means that both of us know what it feels like to have a parent throw up his hands in frustration and say, “What do you MEAN you don’t understand?”  So we really try hard not to do that.

Thing is, sometimes a parent isn’t the best person to help a child grasp mathematical concepts.  DreamBox to the rescue!

DreamBox is a cool new online math learning tool for kids in grades K-2.  It includes more than 350 lessons in the form of adventures that respond dynamically to the child as they “play”.  The lessons conform to the math curriculum standards set by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and they’re intended to develop “conceptual understanding, computational fluency, and problem-solving ability.”

I checked out the DreamBox curriculum page and was gratified to see that in fact the focal points for the first grade curriculum listed there do mirror what I’ve been seeing on Tacy’s math worksheets.  I’m not a teacher myself, obviously (god bless teachers for the job they do - I could never be one), so I don’t have a strong opinion on what sort of techniques are most effective where it comes to introducing math concepts.

However, I do think it’s important that whatever techniques are used, kids need to develop a positive association with math early on.  Math concepts build on each other, and they simply don’t stop.  The difficulties I had in Algebra I, way back in eighth grade, kept compounding all the way through high school and college.  I never did catch up.

Worse, math starts to play a crucial role in other subjects - like chemistry and physics - even as early as high school.  A freshman engineering student like me who never mastered Algebra I is going to be [expletive] when she encounters Fluid Dynamics or Linear Circuits.

But back to first grade, where all this learning begins, and to DreamBox, which helps kids internalize the logic of mathematical concepts.  In some ways, early math seems like a bunch of memorization - 1+1=2 because it just DOES.  Sure, you can count on your fingers, but eventually you’re going to run out of fingers, and besides, it’s just easier to memorize what those answers are.

What DreamBox reinforces, through games that illustrate these concepts, is a means of logically thinking  through the problem to get to the answer.  Think about it: How often in life are we presented with a problem in the form of x+y=z?  Most of the time, we’re figuring out word problems - the exact sort of problems many of us hated because we couldn’t just scribble down our memorized answers.  We actually had to think through those problems, and we hadn’t learned to do that right from the beginning, the way our kids are now.

Furthermore, when I wrote that DreamBox responds dynamically to the child, I didn’t just mean that the program gives her an “Attagirl!” when she answers correctly or a “Try again!” when she makes a mistake.  DreamBox actually adjusts the lesson - the difficulty, the pacing, the information provided to Tacy as she plays - based on her answers and how long she takes to arrive at them, WHILE she is playing.  More personalized even than a personal tutor!

Who knows what Tacy will want to study when she gets to college, or if she’ll even go to college.  Maybe she’ll become a child star and start paying the mortgage. (I can dream, right?) But the important point is that a lack of understanding of math fundamentals won’t keep her from what she wants to pursue.

To learn more about the DreamBox online math learning tool, check out their website and the other Parent Bloggers Network reviews!

I recently wrote about the Beaba Babycook over at Cool Mom Picks - it’s completely converted me to making my own baby food, something I never expected to do on more than an occasional basis. Now I steam and puree at least one batch every day.

Problem is, if Oliver doesn’t eat it all within the next 24 hours, I have to pitch the leftovers. Without all of those impossible-to-pronounce preservatives, the shelf life of baby food is pretty brief.

So when I had a chance to check out Qubies, I jumped at it. Aussie mum Alexandra Wardle created these ingenious freezer trays when she was faced with similar storage problems after whipping up batches of purees for her then-baby boy.

What makes them different - and better! - than the old style ice cube trays?

I’ll start by describing how to use them. Pour the puree into the polycarbonate base*, leaving a little room at the top. Place the silicone lid (which has divider flaps that partition the puree into 30 ml “cubes”) on top of the base. Seal one end, then the other, and then seal along both edges of the base toward the middle (like a Tupperware lid). Pop the whole thing in the freezer.

Once the puree is solidly frozen, remove the Qubie from the freezer, grasp with both hands (you might want to use a towel to keep your hands from freezing) and twist - just like you would do to loosen the cubes in an ice cube tray. Then peel back the silicone lid.

The pictures show the individual portions remaining in the base, but mine always stay adhered to the lid and the divider flaps. But they pop right out when I bend the silicone lid, and I put them right into a freezer bag and stick them right back in the freezer.

So they’re different - and better! - because they’re user-friendly, conveniently sized, and completely contain the puree while it’s being frozen.

I’ve used Qubies for vegetable and fruit purees for Oliver, and I’ve used them for sauces and marinades that Kyle has made - which was especially useful as we often end up tossing the excess after a meal since they don’t keep well in the refrigerator for more than a day or two.

They’re the perfect complement to the Babycook, and I’d highly recommend them. Check out Qubies at their website - www.qubies.com.au - they may take a while to ship, but I assure you they’re well worth the wait!

*Polycarbonate plastic contains BPA (Bisphenol A).

Last year for Christmas, Tacy received a pink Nintendo DS Lite. It’s one of her most prized possessions, and I’m truly impressed by how well she cares for it. I haven’t even had to break out the spare stylus (although I’m sure I totally jinxed myself simply by typing that).

She and CJ have both asked for a pet. While I’m sure they’d love a pet dearly - even more than Tacy loves her DS - I’m not confident that they’d care for a pet as faithfully as they should. Of course they’d give it plenty of love (perhaps too much, based on how much CJ carried around my aunt’s cat last summer), but I can’t envision either of them willingly scooping poop.

So I thought a copy of Littlest Pet Shop for the DS would be a nice indoctrination to pet ownership for them. Because not only do the Littlest Pet Shop pets require love and attention, they are pretty darned cute too - even if you can’t pet their soft fur and carry them all over the house.

Me: Tacy, what do you like about playing Littlest Pet Shop?

Tacy: Well, it’s sort of um fun because it has um well it’s just um you know you can make characters um why do you keep putting um? Mama… (giggle giggle)

Me: Okay, what else?

Tacy: And the characters are cute and um you get to play games at the arcade um and it just is really fun.

Me: What do you not like about the game?

Tacy: Um…if you mess up you can’t get the stuff back.

Me: What stuff?

Tacy: Like um, I um, well the stuff is (stares up at ceiling) well it’s just that if you send them to another place if you send too much of them then you don’t get them back.

Me: What don’t you get back?

Tacy: Your littlest pet shops that you sent there.

Me: Meaning, the pets?

Tacy: Yes. Because um the pets um you can send them to different places so when you send them to different places sometimes if you send too many of them you can’t get them back, you have to switch pets, and sometimes you want lots of pets to go back to the places they want.

Me: Did you help your sister play the game?

Tacy: Well, I did. A little bit. But usually she doesn’t play it.

Me: Why not?

Tacy: Cause um she um she’s usually doing something else.

Me: Like asking for another cup of milk?

Tacy: Yeah.

So there you have it. The only drawback to Littlest Pet Shop is that sometimes the pets don’t come back. Which I suppose means that there isn’t a Littlest Pet Shop Pet Sematary yet.

Honestly, I like Littlest Pet Shop because it’s not World of Warcraft. And because it will likely buy me another few months before I have to succumb to actual pet ownership.

Check out other blogger reviews of Littlest Pet Shop over at PBN, and if you’re so moved by Tacy’s assessment of the game that you must purchase one yourself, you can buy Littlest Pet Shop at Amazon.