Joovy Caboose Review

I have been using a Joovy Caboose($170 at Amazon) almost daily for two years now, so I'm pretty qualified to review it. This is not a freebie review -- I'm just sharing my experience for some other moms who have asked:
First, I love being able to say I'm "putting my kids in the Joovy" to push them around town. Hilarious name. The thing drives me crazy pretty much daily, and yet I don't really think any comparable product on the market would be better.
The things that drive me crazy are that it's a little hard to turn and push (partly because my axles are pretty rusty, though -- if you don't leave it out in the rain as much as I have that won't be so bad) and it's heavy to lift. It's hard to hang a purse or a bag on the handle, and since the basket is so small that's annoying. It also has no cupholder which annoys the crap out of me. You can buy one to hang on there but I have not done that.
Also, the front seat is pretty small and so now that my baby is 2, even tho she's small for her age, her feet hang past the footrest. Soon, of course, I'll have my new infant in a carseat in front and the toddler in back and the then-5-yr-old will just have to hoof it or she'll be at school.
It is not an all-terrain stroller and doesn't handle bumps or snow particularly well. In fact, if the little one is riding in the back seat not strapped in, going over a big bump has sent her flying right out of her seat.
I have pushed it through a lot of snow on sidewalks (with mighty effort), but when we get to the pile at the corner we're in trouble. I'll make the kids get out and lift it but that's not great either.
It has a lot of good points, though. The whole sit and stand concept works like a dream -- both my 4-yr-old and 2-yr-old love being able to hop on and off the back seat. They fight over the back seat now. Also if you have a couple bigger kids with you, they can both stand up on the step together and you can push them all. I can get a surprising amount of groceries on this stroller by hanging bags off the side handle things, and since the frame is metal it easily takes all that weight.
I feel quite comfortable in stores with it, since it is about as compact as you are going to get for something that holds 2 kids -- nice and narrow and not terribly long either. It fits fine in the checkout aisle of the grocery store.
My dad pushes it a lot when he takes my kids to ice skating, and he dislikes it so much he wants to get me a fancy new double stroller for a new baby present. I'd take a jogger that handles snow better, but I'm sure he'd pass out if he saw what those cost.

We All Wanna Be Big Big Stars, Yeah

Finally, the interview and photos I did a month ago are on the front page of today's Chicago Tribune. When I knocked the snow off my paper this morning, I see the big headline, "CHEAPSKATE." Then, there's a picture of me.
Never did I dream of such glamour.
But I won't whine about the picture, or the fact that they called me a "housewife," because I am too busy watching my visitor count for Shoplifting With Permission soar. Yay!

Postcard from La Paz

I know, I know -- my holiday hiatus has been extended. That's cause we're down in Mexico and this is the first time we've taken the time out from kayaking and beachgoing to hit an Inernet cafe. Here are a couple pics. I'll tell you all about the trip when we get back.

Beach bar:

Me at the beach. Note the beginning of my baby bump sticking out from my suit top:

Around here, even the pelicans have their own boats:

Look-at-Me Camera

Review of Parents Magazine of the Look-at-Me Camera up at ParentingSquad.

Playskool Glide 2 Ride Bike

I was so excited when the UPS man showed up with our sample Glide 2 Ride. I had heard about these glide bikes as a better way (as opposed to training wheels) for kids to learn to balance, and I kind of regretted that Nutmeg's first bike was a regular one with training wheels.

The Glide 2 Ride comes with pedals, but the idea is that you don't put them on at first. Instead, you just let the kid sit on the seat and push themselves along with their feet, ideally gliding along for longer and longer stretches until they get the feel of balancing a bike. Then you can put the pedals on.

The bike is nice and low to the ground, since naturally the kid is expected to fall off of it. In general, the look of it is not as cute as your basic little girl's bike -- there is little ornamentation, unlike Nutmeg's other bike which is covered with glittery flowers. Also, the area where you would eventually put the pedals is quite bulky. The front handlebars are covered with a plain foam piece to protect the kid from the bolt underneath, and after just a couple days using the bike, this foam was looking battered and dirty -- I'm think it may tear through before much longer.

Nutmeg didn't complain about the appearance, though. The thing she noticed was the hand brake, which she thought was awesome because Daddy has one on his bike. Now, I was under the impression that small kids don't have the coordination to operate a hand brake, but I guess they should have some way of stopping the bike before the pedals are on. Nutmeg is not a kid who loves to try things that are hard. So although she was very excited to get started with this new bike, once it toppled over a couple times (so unlike her very stable training-wheeled bike) she began to complain. She asked Epu to pick it up for her every time it fell over. The first time she rode the bike I did not take any pictures, so a couple days later I asked her to ride it again. She was not enthused at first, but as soon as she started I could see her ability had improved from the first try. Here's a video of her gliding for a few short spurts:



On this second try, she was also able to pick up the bike herself once it fell over.

In summary, I think this bike is a great idea and should work as intended to help kids learn to ride bikes. It seems about the right size for my 4-year-old, and I think it would be appropriate for other kids that age. Mine is not all that enthused about the bike still, but she is not a terribly physical kid. She might be more excited about it once she's 5 and has -- I hope -- gained a little more strength and coordination so it's not so hard for her to maneuver the bike. However, I don't know that I would keep it as the kid's main bike once she has mastered pedaling it. It's not as cute as other bikes, and looks a bit clunky. I would be more likely to lend it out to friends and relatives who have kids of learning age, and let my own kid graduate to a cute "big-kid" bike -- SANS training wheels! I'll update about this product as she uses it more -- which unfortunately may not be until spring. I'll work on her, though -- it's such a nice day today maybe I can coax her onto it.

Aquadoodle Mat

Review up at ParentingSquad of a new Aquadoodle mat.

Crayola Mix 'Ems and Paint Brush Pens

This isn't going to win me any love from the nice PR people who sent me two new Crayola products for free, but I'm going to say it anyway:

Have you ever noticed new, innovative Crayola products in the stores? You'll see them, and think, hmm, that might be neat. And then the next thing you know, they're on Clearance. Because nobody bought them.

Because what we really want from Crayola is a wonderful, big-ass box of crayons with a built-in sharpener. And a pack of washable markers, and some sidewalk chalk, please.

Because of my penchant for clearance shopping, I've actually tried a few other Crayola innovations over the years -- sidewalk chalk that goes on a wheeled stick and sidewalk paint are a couple of things that come to mind. I even bought one innovation before it went on clearance -- these markers with no caps that are supposed to be great for babies. They weren't great for my baby -- she had a hard time making any marks with them. But her older sister thought they were cool for awhile.

And that's just how it goes with most of the innovative stuff we've gotten, including the products I'm reviewing today -- the novelty keeps the kids very engaged the first time we play with them. But after the first couple times, the novelty wears off and -- because the new products so far never work quite as well or at least no better than the classic products -- they always return to the ever-versatile, beloved Crayola standards.

So -- about the Mix Ems. These are markers with a different color on each end, and if you stick two marker tips together and smoosh them together, it's supposed to blend the color. My older daughter LOVES creating new paint colors, so I thought she would love this.

Well, the effect is not as subtle as mixing paint. Usually, it's more like the stronger color just overtakes the lighter color. You are supposed to be able to do some fancy tricks by using the tip or side of the marker, but since she's only 4, Nutmeg didn't quite get that.

After the first couple times she used these, they made their way to the bottom of the marker bin and I haven't seen or heard from them since. If the kids use them again, I'd predict they just use them like regular markers and forget about their mixing powers.

Then, on to the Paint Brush Pens. Here's an idea with clear mom appeal -- I hate setting out brushes and paints, washing brushes, and dealing with the mess that results from the whole project. I also dislike hanging up huge sheets of easel paper to dry. I know. I'm awful and because of me, my children's inner Michelangelo is forever stunted.

The Paint Brush Pens were kind of a compromise. They are definitely not as fun as instrucitonal for kids as painting with real brushes. Much less tactile experience, less variety of marks you can make. No paint mixing, which as I said is Nutmeg's favorite part.

But, it does make a more interesting variety of marks than plain old markers, and it is definitely less mess. The baby enjoyed drawing with these for quite awhile, and if she finds one, I'm sure she'll play with it some more.

But next time I buy a Crayola gift for a kid, I'm still sticking to the standards. You know what innovation I WOULD like from Crayola, though? Caps that a) are not choking hazards and b) somehow stay attached to the dang markers! I feel like all I ever do is replace marker caps, throw away dried out markers and orphan caps, and watch my toddler to make sure she doesn't have a cap in her mouth. I hate those little fairy fezes!