Huddle a Buddy today…
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What do you look for in a t-shirt? For me, it’s always a look and feel combo.
When asked to select a HuddyBuddy t-shirt, I immediately went for the “Play It Loud”.
Don’t you agree that it’s the perfect choice for Lucas?
Little boys like it loud! Turn it up in this junior rocker’s vintage-style tee.
Lucas loved it too and immediately yelled “Guitar! Guitar! Guitar!” and pranced around the room.
Sun, sea and swimming!
When the sky was clear,
When the pool filled,
When the apartment’s walls threaten to take a gulp,
When my toddler looks SO longingly at the water…
I know it’s time to GO OUTSIDE!
Before we get into the fun and frolic, I decided to try out the sunscreen samples from Screen Routine.
Developed by two mothers, Screen Routine is a dermatologist-approved, non-irritating and non-greasy SPF 16+ daily facial sunscreen from UVA/UVB rays.
PRETTY PACKAGES
I had to first negotiate them out of Lucas’s hands because he went for the colourful packs (purple first!) the minute he saw them…
No trouble getting kids to put them on since the bright green for “tweenscreen” would woo that crowd. “teenscreen” is an appropriate blue, which seems cool enough for cool teens.
“manscreen” was a brawny brown while “chicscreen” was a purple, which isn’t in any of my girlfriends’ list of favourite colours. I’d personally prefer a dark pink or even a baby blue.
I found the sunscreen names a bit confusing - in haste, busy Mums may mix up “tweenscreen” and “teenscreen” especially as blue and green are in the same colour group.
Product titles aside, I think that co-owner, Heather Neal, brought the best of her PR/marketing/copywriting experience to the product warning and directions as I had a few chuckles reading them!
I find the copy for “chicscreen” appropriate for women but just wonder if men may find the language slightly stereotyped and sexist?
Also, in my experience, tweens and teens *cringe* when adults try to talk in their lingo…thus, this group may just roll their eyes at the rather corny copy.
SLAPPING ON THE SUNSCREEN
As the current line-up covers only tweens, teens, ladies and men, I had to give Lucas a blob from his own tube when he saw me applying my “chicscreen”.
Developed by Lori Nauman, an outdoorsy Mum-esthetician-dermatologist’s assistant, ScreenRoutine aims to be THE non-greasy facial sunscreen for everyone.
“chicscreen” gets my vote for its easy application and light, pleasant smell.
My combination skin agrees that it’s a non-greasy solution as it didn’t protest like it does with O.I.L.Y. stuff.
I’d opened up “tweenscreen” thinking that it was for babies / toddlers too but found the warning:
“Keep away from your baby brothers, sisters and other little kids”
My nostrils caught a delicious scent of coconuts - mmm…nice!
I gave Hubby the “manscreen” to try and he gruffly reports that it’s non-greasy and doesn’t “smell” like a woman’s cream. I noticed that their sunscreen has almost no scent, which will go down really well with the Mr. Machos who also need protection from the sun.
I was now curious about “teenscreen” and found that it is slightly less scented than “tweenscreen”.
All in all, I love the texture of the creams - looks like the “Moms on a mission” have introduced an excellent alternative to popular brands like Coppertone and Banana Boat.
But to get people to switch brands? They’ll need more than a goal to “get people to wear sunscreen”.
Personally, I think that they should next offer a sunscreen for babies - best to start them young, right?
P/S Did Lucas get to the pool? YES! For a precious 15 minutes before it started to rain!
Freshbots EASI Fitted All-In-One
In my quest to stock up on cloth diapers for China, I was keen to give this made-in-Malaysia brand a try. This time, I opted for the fitted All-In-One as I have been using one-size pocket diapers all this while.
All-in-One diapers are made to function like disposable diapers, without the need for inserts.
Freshbots AIO has an outer layer of 100% cotton velour and an inner brushed terry towelling. It has a hidden soaker and waterproof layer sewn inside. An additional soaker was provided to increase the absorbency, if needed.
I’d chosen Lavender (L size) as purple is Lucas’ favourite colour and I’d have more success getting it on him after he started his butt-naked behaviour last month.
I loved the AIO on sight because it was plush and also soft to the touch:
Terry towelling inner
Definitely a different sight from the lightweight pocket diaper
A close-up of the terry towelling
Lucas didn’t mind my putting the diaper on him but it was certainly large on him! The sizing is generous, which is a boon for bigger babies.
The AIO is easier to use than a pocket diaper as all I needed to do was strap it on Lucas with the Velcro. It is a well made diaper - besides the fact that the sizing is too big for him, it fits well.
Because the AIO is quite thick (with a built-in waterproof layer), I suspect that Lucas finds it rather warm and heavy. Due to this, he’d peel it off after one wetting. He’d also remark that it is “big” each time I reach for this diaper.
I’m afraid I didn’t have the chance to test how easy solids would wash off on this diaper like I usually do for other diapers.
The thickness also means that this diaper takes a long time to dry. I had to line dry it under the hot sun for 2 whole days before we could wear it again. I didn’t want to use my dryer for it as it may prevent the other clothes from drying and consume more time and energy in the process.
According to this recent article in the Sunday Star, the owner announced that a new and improved range of Freshbots will be launched soon.
For me, if the AIO didn’t come with the extra waterproof layer, it’d be a great diaper for home and day use.
Preschool in China or not?
300 children poisoned in China kindergarten
We had a productive Saturday as we:
1. Checked out the new neighbourhood
The place is almost as nice as the one we live in now. There’s a better playground and quite nice green areas but it’s in a higher density area. There’s always people going in and out of the area. Nearer to restaurants and shops. Just 5-6 minutes away from Lucas’ potential preschool 2.
The apartment we visited is much, much smaller than the current one but the furnishings are newer. That means the owner maintained the place! Cleaner, brighter bathrooms and kitchen.
No lake view. Further from the market. Further from the supermarket. Further from the park.
We’ll need to wait for the agent to call us to view potential places.
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About KittyCat
A modern multilingual, multicultural, globe-trotting Mum shares babycare | breastfeeding | cloth diapers | pregnancy | toddler | preschool | tips.
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I also review books at http://RightReads.com
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Right Reads- Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. FreeseIf you have a son and are trying to gain a better understanding of what the average young man thinks or worries about, you HAVE to read this book. If you work with young people, whether as a teacher, a coach, a tutor or simply trying to understand young people, you HAVE to read this [...]
- Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
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