Salsa Babies!

I was really excited to try out a Salsa Babies class.  My only problem was that my youngest “baby” was almost two and well, let’s just say very active.  I wasn’t sure that she would stay in a carrier for any length of time but figured that chasing her around the classroom would at least garner me some much needed exercise… and it would be done to salsa music. 

Colour me surprised.  I threw baby “T” into my Beco and she instantly began to complain.  But her squirming was easily tamed by a pair of Salsa Baby maracas and the Latin beat.  She was quite content to wiggle and dance while on my back which left me free to actually try and learn to Salsa, baby style. 

The music was moving and my instructor’s enthusiasm contagious.  At first it felt a little wrong without my husband and some tequila (yes my previous Latin dance experience falls under the “drunk and in a foreign country” category).  I felt almost sexy as I managed to somewhat keep up with the other mums.  The dance routines were challenging yet not threatening and I felt like I was really accomplishing something in a mere 45 minutes.  My pulse was up, my baby was happy, and I had a ton of fun. 

The bottom line on Salsa Babies is this:  I had a blast and kept my toddler happy for 45 minutes.  I got some incredible exercise and the chance to meet some other mums in the community.  Salsa Babies is not only a great way to ease back into exercise (or a way to continue your healthy lifestyle) but it’s a fantastic way to get out there and meet some moms just like you.  Now who wants to join me at a Salsa Babies class?

 

WIN IT: Win your very own free Salsa Babies session with Christina and Connie in London (a $75 value)!   Simply check out www.salsababies.com and then go to the Contests section of Wundermums’ forums and tell us what you think the best thing about Salsa Babies is.   Contest closes July 1^st, 2009.  Good Luck! 

 

Reviewed by Melanie Morgan for Wundermums.  All rights reserved.

Veggie Crate from Saplings

Last Christmas I decided to make my kids some felt food.  I thought they would love it and it would give me something to whittle away at while I watched TV on those cold winter nights.  I went to the craft store and stocked up on a plethora of felt and thread and a million ideas of what to make.  Around came Christmas eve and I had made… a carrot.  Granted it was a beautiful carrot but I was not sure that the hours of work and pain in my hands (among other places) was worth the end result.  Well my kids loved the carrot and I went on a search for some suitable additions to our more than lacking veggie collection. 

Saplings is a Canadian company that specializes in fun, safe, and sustainable decor and toys for kids.  Sounds good, eh?  What sounded better to me at the time was the veggie crate by Under the Nile.  It comes complete with a carrot friend for my masterpiece, some beans, a tomato, and what appears to be a giant Portobello.  The veggies are made from 100% organic Egyptian cotton which automatically gives them a head up over my felt creation because there are no little felt fuzzies falling off.  Which leads me to my next point of praise:  they are totally safe for babies (or adults for that matter) to mouth and chew and “pretend” to eat.  The veggies wash up great (just threw mine in the washing machine) and they come properly packed in a small wooden crate which doubles nicely as a time-out spot for Barbie. 

The veggies I received from Saplings come adorned with cute little veggie faces which magically transform your play food into a community of food people and hours upon hours of fun.  The imaginative play that has resulted from these four tiny vegetables is incredible and the kids have yet to tire of them after months of use.

The Under the Nile veggie crate from Saplings is a toy that you really should buy for any mini chef in your life.  They stood up to the test of my children and impressed me with little more than some cotton and thread.  I guess I could continue to make my kids felt food but after playing with these veggies I really can’t think of one reason why. 

 

WIN IT: Win a $50 gift certificate to Saplings so you can pick your own prize!   Simply check out www.saplings.ca and then go to the Contests section of Wundermums’ forums and tell us what you would spend your $50 on.   Contest closes June 15^th, 2009.  Good Luck! 

Reviewed by Melanie Morgan for Wundermums.  All rights reserved.