We still love our car and so does Consumer Reports!

A bunch of people have asked recently what kind of car we are going to buy when Baby #3 arrives. We don't plan to. We have an awesome Mazda5. It was recently picked as the Best Family Hauler in the Consumer Reports Top Picks: Best Models of the Year in 10 Categories.

Here is what they had to say:

Family Hauler: Mazda5

The Mazda5 microvan offers a lot of practicality in a compact, affordable package. With three rows of seats and sliding rear side doors, it combines the convenience of a minivan with the maneuverability and stingy fuel economy—24 mpg overall—of a wagon. The interior is airy, with good fit and finish. Plus the Mazda5 is fun to drive, with a nimble feel and a comfortable ride. The addition of standard ESC for 2010 improved its emergency handling. If you need more room, consider the Honda Odyssey minivan. Price: $23,805.

Just for fun, here is a picture of us the day we bought our Mazda5. Circa June 2006.

, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Probably. The boys are already calling the baby "Baby Jack."

Freddie's rocking Don King hair.

Freddie's rocking Don King hair., originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Jacob requested I take a picture of this awesomeness. FYI: Freddie did not style it with the comb prior to this picture.

Good morning, Sunshines.

Good morning, Sunshines., originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Loving Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes!

Loving Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes!, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

You can't really tell in this picture, but it was a rare one with his mouth closed. He was very excited about dinner last night - especially the ranch-flavored oven "fried" (goBare) chicken drumsticks and Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes for dessert.

Eating corn out of the serving bowl, with the serving spoon.

Eating corn out of the serving bowl, with the serving spoon., originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

We are all about good table manners here.

Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes

Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

We were inspired to make these little treats thanks to The Wiggles "Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes" song.

Winter Program

Sammy - my adorable performer, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Sammy's preschool class had their winter program on Thursday, February 11th. He and the rest of the Butterflies sang and danced to about 10 classic kid numbers, then afterward we had a reception of cookies and juice. It was a fun night, and Sammy is such an adorable (and natural!) performer.

That's a little red heart painted on his nose. They'd had a puppy-themed Valentine's Day party at preschool that morning and he did not want to wash off the heart. A few of the other kiddos were still wearing theirs, too.

Snow as high as Freddie

snow as high as Freddie, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

On Super Snowy Monday. Sammy loves to sled, Freddie loves to shovel. Freddie's method of shoveling basically involves tossing snow from a high bank to an area recently shoveled by Jacob.

Super Snowy Monday

jacobs-well beanie, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

We had a great snowy day on Monday. The boys were happy playing in the front and back yard for nearly an hour!

Here is a cute shot of Sammy after a ride down our front "hill" on a sled, wearing the Jacob's Well beanie he earned for his recent community service!

Tiny Love Wind Chime Recall!

Hazard: The wind chime toy can be pulled apart exposing sharp metal rods, posing puncture and laceration hazards to the baby.

I know a ton of parents with toys like these. Here is the direct link with pictures of the (seven!) specific toys: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10136.html

What a great idea! Washing Tiny Socks

This reader tip from ohdeedoh would have saved us a week of headache with a "broken" washer right after Freddie was born. Remember this?

Instead of searching for all those little baby socks after you do the laundry- stick them all in a mesh laundry bag before you throw them in.

Read article: Washing Tiny Socs

30 weeks

Thanks so much to Sonja for inviting us over to play this morning, and for snapping a few shots of me for my mom and Blogger friends! This is the first official belly shot of Baby Rod #3. Obviously I have hit the glamorous stage of pregnancy, note the pony tail, sports bra outline and entire outfit of stretchy material. But I still think Sonja made me look good with her mad photography and Photoshop skills. Thanks again, friend! :)

Feeling very European...

makeshift indoor clothesline, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

To continue on with our year of household failure our dryer stopped working on Tuesday, after I'd washed two loads of clothes. I rigged up this makeshift indoor clothesline in the boys' bathroom upstairs.

Playing together at Choo Choo Bob's

Playing together at Choo Choo Bob's, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

We met up with friends at a favorite local train store this afternoon. If you are local and have not been yet, check out Choo Choo Bob's on Marshall Ave in St. Paul. It's a little boy's dream. :)

Another shot of the clothesline and octopus dryer

makeshift indoor clothesline and octopus dryer, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Tuesday's snow

Freddie and Sammy out on a snowy day, originally uploaded by sweetietooth.

Why Rear-Facing is Better...

I started looking into car safety again after talking to a friend who's little one is about to out grow his infant car seat, and am once again stuck by how much information there is out there. It's relevant, updated, keeping-your-kids-as-safe-as-possible-in-the-car information that so many parents ignore or overlook or are just plain ignorant about. I realize my blog has a very small readership, but still I feel convicted to share some of this invaluable information. Here is installment I. It's about extended rear-facing. This is from carseatblog.com:

Here’s a list of concrete reasons why we recommend rear-facing past age 1 and 20 lbs. That old recommendation that many pediatricians still hold onto stresses the bare minimums of when to turn a child forward-facing. Who wants the minimum for their child? It’s best practice to rear-face to the limits of the child’s convertible carseat: check the label for the rear-facing weight limit and make sure there’s at least 1″ of carseat above the top of his head.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended since 2002 that after age 1 and 20 lbs., children should ride in a rear-facing convertible seat until reaching the weight limit of that carseat. ....

Read the full article, including You Tube videos documenting RF safety: CLICK HERE

And here are a few tidbits of basic rear-facing info:
Children are 5X safer when left rearfacing until at least 2 years.
Many convertible car seats will accomodate a rear-facing child until 3-35lbs.
Broken legs are not a concern when rear-facing.
Rear-facing convertible car seats can be installed as upright as 30 degrees to give older children more comfort.