You can still snap in two Graco infant car seats into this double stroller but there are also so many other seating configurations to choose from. Your older child can sit on the bench seat or stand on the platform, while your little one can sit back and enjoy the front row seat. Another cool option is the “Face Time” stroller seat. You can make your little one laugh or show her the sights as you push the stroller. The best way to experience this stroller is to go instore and try it out with your kids, see more pictures online, or check out our video.

With all of these seating options, Graco did not forget out the convenience features that moms expect and love about Graco strollers. Like I mentioned before this stroller includes, the ability to use two Graco infant car seats in the stroller, a removable Face Time seat where you can spend some close up quality time with your baby, a reclining front seat that lies flat, a one-hand fold, and an extra-large storage basket that can be accessed by pulling up on the toddler bench seat–awesome, huh?

I wish I had this stroller when my girls were younger! I know PP would have loved the standing platform and Pinkie Pie (who is my eternal cuddler) would have loved the Face Time seat so she could be even closer to me. Our strollers keep getting better and better!

But the Disney movie that I do like the most is The Princess and the Frog. PP was obsessed with this movie when it first came out (she even had a Princess & the Frog party for her 4th birthday). What I like about this movie is that it stresses that through hard work, your dreams will come true (vs. waiting around for a guy to “save” you or make your dreams come true).  So, when we watch Princess and the Frog, I have pointed out to PP that Tiana achieves her dream because she works hard everyday (just like her parents).

PP’s “dream” right now is to become a dolphin trainer and to own a dolphin. Whenever she says this, I say she needs to  learn how to swim (pretty important if you want to be a dolphin trainer, huh?), go to college (Florida, of course, so she can study marine biology), and learn Spanish (I just threw that in there to make her learn it… I told her that dolphins like when their trainers speak Spanish). Thus, you need to work hard so your dreams will come true. Never too early for a a little dose of reality…

What is your child’s dream?

To start, this car seat is steel-reinforced & Safe Seat Engineered (which means it has gone through many different types of testing, such as Side Impact Testing, extreme weather testing, and other important safety reviews).

There are many features about this product that you will love. First, there are higher weight limits for two of the modes of use. In the harnessed booster mode, your child can use the harness up to 70 lbs. When you use Argos 70 as a backless booster, the seat holds a child up to 120 lbs (which helps support the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that children ride in a booster seat until they are 4’9″).  Must-have features like the front adjust harness, integrated cup holder, and side storage compartment are also an added plus to this seat.

But, my favorite feature by far is the Simply Safe Adjust harness system.

This harness system allows you to quickly adjust the harness height & head rest at the same time and with one hand–no need to re-thread the harness! This car seat is great for car-pooling since you can easily and safely adjust the harness height without un-installing the seat. I was able to easily adjust the harness height and head rest so my little ones could check out the newest car seat.

My daughter, “PP,” is shown in the picture here. She is 50 lbs and she fit in this seat really well (Argos 70 comes with a toddler insert for even more cushioning if you’re using the seat with a smaller child).

This car seat is sure to impress! Pre-order it now at  Babies R Us or check it out at your local Target.

Someone isn't so happy about the matching thing...

Growing up in a household of my sister & myself, I heard stories of how I would always want my sister’s things. There are Christmas pictures of me playing with a bunch of toys on my sister’s “side” of the tree (apparently her gifts were much more desirable than what I got for Christmas).  There is also a notorious story of my mom getting into a car crash on her way to Toys “R” Us to get me the much coveted Cabbage Patch Doll since I saw my sister’s doll and was crying that I wanted one too. In other holiday pictures, you will see even more matching presents: coordinating purses (my favorite is the pink Michael Jackson purse), Pound Puppy dogs, stereos, etc.  Basically, my parents learned fast to buy two of everything.

And now I’m learning the same thing. Pinkie Pie, who turns two next week, looks up to her sister and wants what she has. When it comes to stuffed animals, we buy two. Clothing, pajamas, shoes, you name it. I specifically buy clothing at retailers that have various sizes so I can buy matching clothes. When my mom asks if she should get the same thing for both of them, I remind her of how I was growing up–let’s make it easy on all of us and just buy them the same thing.

Now, it’s even affecting dinner time. PP is my very picky eater, so she basically eats three things: spaghetti, mac n’ cheese, and pizza (she’s my health nut) . Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, will eat just about anything. But, the big problem is is that she is influenced by PP’s food choices. If PP eats pizza, then Pinkie Pie wants pizza (even though she just asked for chicken). We are trying to preserve and encourage Pinkie Pie’s willingness to eat new things and not get too influenced my PP’s pickiness. Luckily, Pinkie Pie has a healthy appetite so we try to give her more variety of food either before or after PP eats so she still gets different food choices.

Is this going on in your household too? Is “two of everything” your mantra or do your kids like have different things?

PP is also learning to buy two. When she picks out something for herself, she always picks up the same thing for Pinkie Pie too–very sweet, but hard on the wallet

Rob puts in a full work week running around an extremely busy retail store in a super busy mall. And, on his days off, he cleans the house, goes grocery shopping, and does the laundry (quite the catch, huh?). Then after work, he still makes the time (with the little energy that he has) to give the girls a bath (PP also requires him to give her a “car ride” after her bath which entails her “buckling up” then Rob lifting her up and carrying her around the hallway in the air) and put them to bed (which means several attempts to get Pinkie Pie to actually stay in her room).

As for Rob’s father’s day gift, I am leaving the state (this is work-related and  unfortunately had to leave on this date). But, I have my mom here to cook Rob up some delicious, authentic Italian food for him and my dad. Hopefully, he will get some relaxation too.

So, thank you and happy (early) father’s day to all of the hardworking dads out there.

What are your Father’s Day plans for the daddy in your life?

Being a mom of two daughters,  5 years old & 21 months, I wanted to make sure that I was prepared to help “bully-proof my children.”

We had two great speakers talking on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League. From the get go, I had no idea that this organization even existed and what great work they do. The woman that spoke during the lecture goes into schools and teaches kids how to stop their friends from bullying others and what to do when others bully you. She also educates school principals and teachers to help them counsel children that are either bullied or bullying others.

First, she began with everyone thinking about a time when you were a victim of bullying or even name-calling. In our small groups, we had to talk about how we felt when we were on the receiving end of name-calling.

Most of us talked about how, for the most part, we didn’t tell anyone because we were embarrassed or afraid.

This point is extremely important because parents or teachers may not know if bullying is going on since the child may not tell an adult (which is why educating your children on not letting other kids bully others is so important — adults may have no idea that it is going on). We also talked about cyber-bullying, which is becoming more and more common because of the uber-popular Facebook. What was most impactful about the presentation was that she used real-life examples of children gravely impacted by bullying.

Don’t let your child be a victim OR a bully! Here are some tips we learned on how to “bully-proof” your child:

–Help your child understand bullying. It’s more than physical; it can be done in person or over the phone or computer.

–Keep open lines of communication with your child. Check in with them and listen to any concerns about friends or other students.

–Encourage your child to pursue their interests. Doing what they love may help your child be more confident among their peers and make friends with other kids with similar interests.

–Teach your child to take a stand against bullying. Give guidance about how to stand up to those who bully if it is safe to do so.

–Talk to your child about seeking help from a trusted adult when feeling threatened by a bully. Assure your child that they should not be afraid to tell an adult when someone they know is being bullied.

–Know what is going on in your child’s school. Get to know other parents, school counselors, and staff.

There are also many other resources to help you understand bullying. Here are a few:

Stop Bullying Now!

MTV’s “Thin Line” Campaign

Stop Bullying. Speak Up! Campaign

Cyberbullying Research Center

I was inspired after attending this workshop and it felt reassuring to know there was something I could do to try to help. I hope that you, too, feel inspired to learn more about the prevention of bullying.

How have you helped your child deal with bullying?

It is hard to believe that my tiny (PP was less than 6 lbs when I left the hospital with her) bundle of energy is five years old. I remember writing one of my first posts for the Graco blog three years ago with the post, Birthday Wishes to my Daughter and another one for her fourth birthday, Year of the Bigs. It is great to be able to look back and see her accomplishments through the years and how much she has changed.

PP is going to be celebrating in a “BIG” way with two parties (we started this tradition since we moved to GA almost two years ago). She will have a Toy Story themed party here with her school friends and a Little Mermaid themed party back in Pennsylvania with family and friends. PP also  gets to buy the roller-skates that she has been asking for! It truly is a Big Weekend!

PP has always been a ball of energy and she continues to make us laugh every day. She is very crafty at negotiating and finding a way to get what she wants. We believe she is either going to be a lawyer or salesman, however PP wants to be an art teacher when she grows up.  She loves art. She loves to draw and at one point we had about 30 pictures hung up around her bedroom.  PP also loves dogs (asks for one about twice a week) and takes great care of her little sister, Pinkie Pie.

At night, PP loves “snuggling” in bed with me and we watch Cake Boss, Cupcake Wars, and Top Chef. She continues to surprise me with how independent she is.  She will fix herself a snack–most likely gold fish and apple juice, clean up her room, make her bed, put her pajamas on,and brush her teeth (and help Pinkie Pie brush hers). What I truly love most is how caring she is–when I am not feeling well, she brings me water, an ice pack, and rubs my back. When I said that I needed to eat breakfast, she took Pinkie Pie by the hand and said, “We need to let Mommy eat her breakfast and not bother her. Come in my room and let’s play.” When she had to go to the bathroom  she brought Pinkie Pie with her and said, “Stay with me, so Mommy can have some quiet time.” Just those 15 minutes of break time, as PP “took care” of Pinkie Pie was much needed and much appreciated. PP is my BIG helper always

Happy Birthday to my Big Girl! You are loved and cherished–we have been celebrating your life since the day you were born!

I asked PP if I could interview her and her first question was, “what’s an interview?” I told her an interview is where I ask you questions and you get to answer them. Surprisingly, she was excited to take part, so I seized the moment:

1. What’s your favorite food? (I didn’t want her to lose interest so I decided to start simple and ease her into the interview…)

“Chocolate.” (I guess we need to work on the food groups a little more..)

2. What’s your favorite thing to do?

“Watch TV (hence my reason for doing this) and draw pictures.” (at one point, PP’s room was covered wall to ceiling with her artwork.)

3. What’s your favorite thing to do with Mommy?

“Hug her.” (Isn’t she sweet?)

4. What’s your favorite thing to do with Daddy?

“Read stories.”

5. What’s your favorite color?

“Pink” (No surprise there, but thought she would say pink and purple–that’s usually one color for her.)

6. What do you want to be when you grow up?

“Unicorn flyer.” (Hhmm…not sure if that is a high demand career.)

7. What is your favorite word?

“Annalise.” (Is currently one of her best friends.)

8. What is your favorite thing to do at school?

“Play outside.” (Glad to know I am paying for a quality education and ” playground” is her favorite subject.)

9. If you could do something all day long, what would it be?

“Roller-skate with Daddy and ride my bike.”

10. If you could have anything in the world, what would you want?

“A unicorn.”

11. What is your favorite movie?

“Chihuahua.” (Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2)

12. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

“Disney World, so I can watch all of the Disney movies.”

13. Who is your best friend?

“All the girls in my Pre-K 2 class.” (Nice to know she is so inclusive!)

14. What is your favorite TV show?

“Bubble Guppies.”

15. Who is your favorite Princess?

“Ariel.”

16. What is your favorite thing about yourself?

“My feet.” (Random)

17. What is your favorite game?

“Pinkalicious Cupcake Game.” (Best $15 that I have spent!)

18. What is your favorite thing about Mommy?

“She hugs me a lot.”

19. What is your favorite thing about Daddy?

“His strong bones because he picks me up and does strong things.”

20. What is your favorite animal?

“A giraffe, no a dog, yeah a dog!”

I thought it was so fun to see what my child’s “favorite” things are as well as spend time together outside of Television. Ask your little one what their “favorites” are and let us know what they say!

What are your baby’s favorite foods? What can you not get him or her to eat no matter how hard you try?

Number 1: I cannot get anything done! She wants me to carry her around all day, every day.
Around the house, she wants to be carried, at the grocery store, she wants out of the cart to be carried, at the mall, she wriggles in her stroller so I can carry her.
My arms are building up some muscle carting around my 22 pounder!

When I am not around, my husband says she is so good. She will play independently or with her sister and most importantly, she doesn’t whine to be picked up. I guess I am just a sucker and she knows she can get her way with me.

Number 2: Since I am always picking Pinkie Pie up and carrying her everywhere, it’s less time that I get to spend with PP. PP even says, “Mommy, she wants you to pick her up, so pick her up so she stops crying.” Followed by, “You always pick her up.”
Now, if PP trys to hug me, Pinkie Pie goes nuts! She holds her arms up with huge tears streaming down her face while her cheeks turn beet red with sadness.
So, I try to pick them both up (remember my reference to huge biceps??) then Pinkie Pie starts to hit PP so she can get even closer to me (basically, turns into Wrestlemania).

Either way, I feel like I upset one of my daughters and more likely than not, I give in to Pinkie Pie since she is younger (and louder!)

Help!!!  Does anyone have any advice for me?