Real Tech Mom

How Do I know what kind of Car Seat to buy?

Ask yourself these four things:

1) How well will it Fit my child?
2)Is it Easy to install and use correctly every time?
3) Will it fit my car?
4) How much will it cost?

While most car seat’s that come in your travel system’s have a separate base to install, not all do.  Some have a leveling system built right into the car seat and others have it built into the base. But in any case most of these car seats will fit into tight spaces.

While you hope that your child does not outgrow the height and/or weight restrictions (for the infant car seat) before they’re one years old, many outgrow their car seat by 6 months. Weight restrictions vary anywhere from 18-25 lbs, so be aware, that if you have a chunky monkey on your hands, you may need to purchase your next seat before your bundle of joy turn’s 1.

So What kind of Car Seats are there? There are many–from infant seats to booster seats and everything in between.

Infant Car Seats

Max height: 32″, Child Age: Under age 1, Child Weight: 4-30lb

• Can be used rear-facing only
• Maximum weight limits usually around 20 – 22 pounds
• Removable base for easy movement of baby without waking him or her
• Extra bases available for purchase to make it possible to use the same car seat or carrier in multiple vehicles. Keep a base in each car and use just the one carry for transfer between cars
• Smaller seat cradles newborns better; some experts consider it a safer option than a Convertible seat for infants
• Compatible with strollers to create a convenient baby travel system
• Will only be able to be used for about a year, even less in most cases depending on how fast your child grows

Check out Consumer Reports Ratings of the top Infant Car Seats! (These are Canadian Standards)

Transport Canada’s Stage one information guide.

Convertible Car Seats

Max height 49″, Child age: 0-5 years, Child Weight: 5-65 lbs

• Convertible car seats are the only car seats that can be installed and used both rear-facing and forward-facing. Rear-facing weight limits are normally between 25 and 35 lbs. However, you must keep a child rear-facing at least until they hit age 1 and 20 lbs. Most governments recommend keeping kids rear-facing as long as possible. Forward-facing weight limits can be anywhere between 40 and 80 lbs, depending on the model.
• Consider the fit. The higher the weight limit of a convertible seat, the more space it will take up in your car. Compare measurements and check out carseatdata.org to see if the car seat you want will fit in your vehicle.
• Convertible car seats do not fit into your stroller travel systems.
• Although most convertible car seats feature weight minimums around 5 pounds, a convertible car seat is not ideal for use with an infant. Most convertible car seats function as baby’s second car seat after they outgrow their infant car seat. If you do use a convertible car seat with an infant, look for models with included extras like head support and removable infant inserts. These extras help provide a snug fit for small children.

 

Youth and Toddler Car seats

Max Child Height 19″-59″, Child age: 1-8 years, Child weight 20-80 lbs

• Can be used forward-facing only.
• Minimum weight requirement of 20 lbs.
• Maximum weight limits of 40 – 80 lbs.
• Semi-permanent install, no removable base, once installed properly and securely it should be uninstalled rarely to adjust shoulder harness heights or to remove the 5-point harness for use as a Belt Positioning Booster on some models.
• Not compatible with strollers
• Depending on the seat, your child may be able to use this seat for up to at least the age of 8. For many children, a Youth/Toddler seat will be the last car seat they will be in. Or you could choose to skip the use of a Youth/Toddler seat and go straight from a Convertible seat to a Booster seat.

To Check out reviews of different models of car seats go to http://www.elitecarseats.com

See what Consumer Reports has to say about the different Car Seats.

Transport Canada’s Stage two guide.

Transport Canada

If you live in Canada, you must purchase your Car seat in Canada. Transport Canada has imposed more strict safety regulation on Car Seat Manufacturer’s. If you get into a collision with a car seat not approved by Transport Canada, all insurance bet’s are off–and you may get a steep fine.

Check out Transport Canada’s road safety tips for you and the family, also check on stage three and four of the safety guide!

The Bottom Line

We purchased the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP to fit with our Pliko P3 Stroller. While it has high safety factors, it was VERY heavy and bulky. My son hated it, he cried every time he was in it.  He also has out grown it at just under 6 months of age. But for the safety factor I would use this car seat again.

Our next choice is the Britax Marathon convertible car seat. It’s like night and day with this kid. It seems he’s got more room and he just relaxes in it! It’s also really easy to take him in and out of it! Well worth the money!

I don’t think that you have to spend the big cash on car seats just make sure that they fit in your car, they meet the safety standards and that your child is comfortable in them. See if the place you are purchasing your car seat from will allow you to return it if it doesn’t fit or babe doesn’t like it. Or if you have a friend with the same car seat, see if you can try your baby out in it.

Best of luck!

• Use what you learn or stay in bed.
• Back in Action
• Creepy fake babies

So I was talking to my sister the other day about baby stuff as per usual and the creepiest topic came up.

We were talking about having more babies and how my sister thinks I’m destined to have all boys. Which is fine by me, I explained–girls are just so mean to each other when they get older. I mean how can a 10 year old be a slut–literally? I know most of the name calling and hating starts in junior high school but it’s such a shame that girls are so cruel to each other, as if being a teenager wasn’t hard enough, being a teenage girl is the worst.

So she was telling me that my niece (who is 12) got a phone call from a “bad influencer friend” from her previous school, “educating” her on who’s cool, who’s not at her new school. This was the same girl who educated my niece on things like sex (as in good positions), drugs(which ones were cool), spin the bottle (that had also a sexual twist on it) and a whole lot more I will not mention on this blog–Did I mention I’m so happy my niece does not go to that school anymore? Anyway, she continues to tell me about this phone call and what kind of kids were considered rich, poor, cutters, goths….

HOLD THE PHONE. Cutters?

I have to interject here–I asked my husband if he knew what a cutter was and he said, someone that cuts in line? Well that’s what I thought. Turns out, in school cutters are the people who cut themselves for fun.

OH HOLY CRAP.

Now I seem to remember this in high school or can picture it more in high school but junior high? Oh and not only that, they’re now called Emo’s. Good grief. what is this world coming too! I’m only 25 and I’m already out of the loop on the lingo. How could it have changed so much since I was young? God, now I feel old. Emo’s Sheesh!

Quick update: talking to a few friends of mine tonight, two of them who work with teens in their jobs told me that emo is short for emotional. I guess that makes a “little” more sense–but still disturbing none the less.

• Creepy fake babies
• My appologies to the Emo and/or Cutter World
• It’s beginning to look at lot like Winter.

Because there were just too many to put on one posting here is part two of the best Sesame Street Clips! I find that as a kid, I loved Bert and Ernie… I think I liked Ernie more then Bert as a child, but now as a parent, Bert is so much more reasonable LOL

11) Ernie and Bert play heavy and light

12) Carton of Milk, loaf of bread and a stick of butter

I don’t know why I like this one, but I always did.

13) The Yips meet the telephone

14)Ernie’s Dance myself to sleep

15) Do wop hop by Kermit

16) I don’t want to live on the moon (version with Aaron Neville)

17) If moon were cookie

18) The singing Orange thing

19)Snuffy and Big Bird

20) Caveman Bert and Ernie

• Creepy fake babies
• Use what you learn or stay in bed.

While growing up in the 80′s had it’s ups and downs. Children’s programming was fantastic. I used to love sesame street. I find that it’s just not the same anymore but none the less there is some classic sesame street clips that I wanted to share!

1) C is for Cookie

2) Here Fishy Fishy Fishy

3) Do De Duck

4) Rubber Duckie

*how many of you parents try to sing this to your children and forget the words*

5)Grover the waiter

*Now I know why I am always nice to serving staff, the blue man deserves bad service lol*

6) Ernie and Bert Visit a Pyramid

7)Smokie Robinson and the letter U

8)Near and Far

9)Super Grover

10) Elmo’s song

 

 

 

I’m working on Part two of this series because there are just too many good clips for one post! Enjoy!

• Sponsoring a Child
• My appologies to the Emo and/or Cutter World
• About the Real Tech Mom

So I have had a passion for wine for many years. I’m by far any type of a connoisseur but have been asked many times in a Liquor store to recommend a wine–and no I have never worked in a liquor store. I am a big fan of red wines, and I love sparkling wines and then come the white wines (not a big fan but it’s nice in the summer time to have a cool glass of it). I’m also a big advocate that you don’t have to spend a lot of cash on a bottle of wine for it to be tasty! Most of these wines are under $15 unless noted otherwise. So whether or not you are going to a dinner party or just want to enjoy some nice wine at home, here are my top 10 picks!

Red Wines

1) PKNT(Merlot) 2004 (pronounced Picante) From the Rapel Valley in Chile. Under $15

Impress your friends at your next dinner party or as a gift with PKNT, not only a smart play on words, but a wonderful tasteful wine. (note: I’ve only tried the merlot) 

• It’s smooth taste is easy to drink
• They have 3 award winning wines:
  • 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon2004
  • Merlot2004 Chardonnay2004
  • Carmenere2004 Sauvignon Blanc

2) Ecco Domani (Merlot) 2004 From the Vallagarina Valley in Italy. Under $15

Yes it’s another Merlot, I am a big fan of merlot’s mainly because they are smooth and easy to drink, even for those who aren’t fond of red wine.

• Again It’s smooth an easy to drink
• Here are some of the wines they feature:
  • Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio
  • Cabernet/Merlot
  • Pinot Grigio
  • Merlot
  • Chianti

Ecco Domani is not sold at all Government regulated stores (in MB we have something called Liquor Mart, owned and operated by the provincial Government) For you Manitoban’s you must go to somewhere specialized like Fenton’s Wine Store. 

3) Lindeman’s Bin 40 (Merlot) 2004 From South Eastern Australia. Under $15

Yes another Merlot, but I think the Shiraz is very good as well.

• Smooth and easy to drink
• Here are some other’s from the BIN series:
  • Bin 50 shiraz
  • Bin 99 Pinot Noir
  • Bin 40 Merlot
  • Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon

Lindeman’s has a variety of wonderful wines for all of the wine drinkers at your party. The way I described it to someone at a wine store was this: Merlot=mild, Shiraz=medium, Cabernet= full flavour.

4) Valpollicella  Le Poiane Doc Fratelli Bolla From Italy. Under $20

Yes another Merlot, I’ve recently fell in love with this wine. It’s a little pricier then I’m used to but it’s so fantastic it’s worth it! It was an accidental purchase made by my husband while I was pregnant. (we tried to stalk up on our wines while I couldn’t drink) Now that I’m permitted to drink, this has become a favourite of mine!

A Close number 4 is Bolla COLFORTE Merlot delle Venezie (Product from Italy) This one is also under 20$ but both are very smooth and worth purchasing! This is also a close runner up, definitely worth checking out!

White Wines

5) Peller Estates Pinot blanc 2006 from Canada (VQA) under $15

This smooth medium bodied wine has very light citrus flavours and has a light but crisp taste to it. I’m not a huge fan of white wine but this one really is fantastic in the summer time with your chicken or fish dishes! Peller Estates has two vineyards across Canada, one in the Niagara area, one in the Okanagan area. I’m a fan of the Okanagan area, but there are some fine wines that come out of the Ontario region. They also make a variety of dessert wines as well as red wines, but they’re not my cup of tea.

6)Two Oceans Sauvignon blanc 2006 from South Africa, Under $15

This wine was an accidental find. I am constantly buying different white wines to please friends of mine who visit. Because I do not drink the white wines generally, one that sparks my interest usually takes hold of my attention!

Generally the ones that take hold of me are dry white wines, so if you love the sweet variety, you must look elsewhere! This one is quite tasty! It’s very mild and goes down quickly!

7) Voga Pinot Grigio from Italy, Under $15

This one was purchased because of it’s looks originally and I’m proud to say it has lived up well beyond it’s standards! It looks like a bottle of cologne and if you need something to show off in your wine rack or on your shelf this is the wine to display.

I was not expecting too much out of this wine because it looked so different but it really is fantastic. It’s got a wonderfully refreshing taste and is nice and crisp! I haven’t tried the red, but if it’s anything like the white, it would be worth trying!

Sparkling Wines

Two out of the three are from Canada. Because they do not come from Champagne France we can’t "legally" call them Champagne. The first one is by far my favourite out of all three especially for the cost. Again, I’m not a fan of sweet wines, even sparkling ones. I also find some of the real Champagne’s to be a little too dry, so most of these are of the rosey variety.

8)Trivento Brut from Argentina under $15

This sparkling wine has a rosey pink colour to it. It uses Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape varieties to make up the pleasant cherries, apples and pineapple flavour. It has delicate bubbles (very small) and has a little bite to it!

9)Sumac Ridge Stellar’s Jay Brut from Canada Under $25

This sparkling wine is a very close call for first place for me. It’s from BC’s Okanagan region. It also has a warm rosey colour to it. This wine is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir grape varieties. This one is a bit pricier, but it’s a nice treat every once and a while.

While in BC a few years ago, we went to have dinner in their restaurant, what a wonderful meal and experience. I highly suggest visiting the winery if you are in the area.

 

10) Summerhill Cipes Pinot Noir Brut N/V from Canada under $30

This one is also from the Okanagan region. Summerhill is a wonderful vineyard outside of Kelowna, B.C. It’s actually where my husband and I got engaged and married. All of their wines are stored in a pyramid that is aligned with the ones in South America and Egypt. This Brut has a fresh peach, green apple, white floral and mineral aromas to it with a hint of toasted nuts. It is slightly off dry with small delicate bubbles to it.

There are many other wines that Summerhill offers. Summerhill is a Certified Organic Vineyard using no herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers in the soil.

The Bottom Line

When buying red wine, my "general" rule of thumb is this. Mostly anything from Italy and France are going to be smooth and light in taste. If you want a fuller body, I would then go to Australia or South America for red wines. When buying white many Canadian, American and Italian wines are the lightest. Chardonnay’s have a certain taste to them that I’m not generally fond of so if I drink white wine, most of them are sauvignon blanc’s or Pinot Grigio’s. Again if you like a fuller bodied White, Australia and South America have some fuller bodied wines. For sparkling, generally Canadian ones spark my interest the most, and I opt for the Brut’s of the sparkling’s.

Just remember, you don’t have to pair your wine with your food, if you like a certain wine, drink it with whatever you want. I’m sure all the wine connoisseur’s are cursing me as a babbling idiot right now but I don’t care. I drink what I want with whatever I’m eating. As a general rule of thumb (very general)

White meat/pasta with white sauce/fish = white wine.

Dark meat/pasta with red sauce/cheese = red wine.

• Sponsoring a Child
• It’s beginning to look at lot like Winter.
• About the Real Tech Mom

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately but here is a great crowd pleaser when you are short on time! This dish is always popular when having guests over for dinner or at a potluck! If you wanted to add grilled chicken to this dish that is also a great topper!

 

What you’ll need:

1 pkg of tortellini (I use the cheese stuffed kind) and it’s family sized

1 small pkg of sundried tomato sauce

2 cans of diced tomatoes (unflavoured) I use Hunts family size can’s

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

salt to taste

Cheddar cheese to top the dish off

 

What do I do next?

Boil your tortellini so that it’s ready to eat (generally 8-10 minutes)

In a separate pan take your sundried tomato sauce and your diced tomatoes and mix them together on medium heat–leave on medium for about 10 minutes.

Add in your garlic and salt and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix your pasta with the sauce and place in a casserole dish. *note* you may need two dishes for the amount of pasta the family size makes, but if you want to save the second dish of pasta you can place it uncooked (with sauce and pasta mixed) in freezer until you need this dish and then just add cheese and bake.

Place in oven covered with cheddar cheese for about 20 minutes, if you like your cheese crispy broil it for under a minute.

optional: grill up some chicken and top off this dish with some chicken!

 

Let cool for 2 minutes and enjoy!

 

As always if you have a recipe you would like to share please email me at erincarrasco@gmail.com with a picture of the finished product!

 

Happy Cooking!

• Creepy fake babies
• Sponsoring a Child

It’s funny how those things used to gross me out. I mean don’t get me wrong, I don’t stand up and announce that I have poo on my clothes to celebrate it and jump for joy, but I also don’t freak out that there is human feces on my clothes. When did that change?

When you take the spit, puke, poo –or whatever is oozing out of your baby and wipe it on yourself because you have nothing else to wipe it on, you’ve entered the MommyZone/DaddyZone.

But entering the MommyZone,DaddyZone isn’t all bad or disgusting. Especially when you get the giggles out of them, or they recognize you in the morning and give you huge toothless grins. It always amazes me when he sees things and ”looks” like he’s seeing them for the first time–well because he is. It’s this amazing innocence and lust for life that is so precious because one day it will be gone.

How can the ceiling fan keep his attention for so long, just what secret does it have?

All of our kids have quirks–things that only you, and your family may find cute but I’m going to share what my son’s are because well this is my blog and they make me crack up!

1) In his Jolly jumper, he only bounces with one leg, he’ll touch down with two but lift up the other one and bounce off with only one leg.. why who knows. He actually looks kind of gimpy LOL I’ve made sure that he can touch with both etc. but alas it’s just one leg bouncer for now.

2) He whacks his head to sleep. And I mean hard! He’ll be trying to “soothe” himself–how this sooths him I’m not so sure but none the less he is semi-sleeping, and then when he goes through his sleep cycle, he starts to bonk himself to sleep. Hard enough to shake the video monitor in his crib… it’s so funny, I may just take a video to show you all!

3) This last one comes and goes, it was more so when he was really young. When he was about to sneeze, he’d go. Ahhhhhhhhh really loudly, like “oh my god something is happening to me” and then he’d sneeze a few seconds later. So it was nice to have a warning for the sneeze. Now it’s more of an afterthought. He’ll sneeze and then go uhhhhhhhhhhh. So cute!

 

What do all of your kids do that crack you up?

• Sponsoring a Child
• About the Real Tech Mom
• It’s beginning to look at lot like Winter.