the silver cross eclipse fizz = my new favorite umbrella stroller!

the silver cross fizz stroller is one spiffy lightweight!

for reference, i have tried just about every model maclaren has made since 2004 and have owned five volos, a ryder, two vogues, two quests, an MX3, a twin techno, a techno classic and a techno XLR. i have never really considered purchasing a triumph, though i've played around with them plenty.

at one point i had a silver cross pop but i was so used to maclarens that i couldn't get past the fact that it didn't steer quite as well. so, going into this rave about the new eclipse fizz, i do have some previous experience with silver cross umbrella strollers and can say that the steerability of the fizz is much improved!

i will also say that it is most like a maclaren triumph, though it is often compared to the volo. there are enough similarities between the fizz and volo but it is like a more fully-featured triumph, in my opinion, and if someone was considering even a maclaren quest, i'd suggest they consider the fizz first.

so first off, let's discuss the appearance.

the fizz is sharp!

it's sleek!

it is, dare i say, sexy!

i still have yet to take photos of the stroller without the seat liner (or with it reversed to silver) so for now these will have to do :)



notice the nice, rounded "won't cut off your kid's fingers" hinges. ingenious and classy! then notice the thick padded seat liner with the cute lightly quilted bubble pattern. love it! also note that without the use of an extendable leg rest, my ten month old's legs don't dangle off the edge and the seat is sturdy enough so that he can sit cross-legged in comfort. love this feature, as well!

the solid hubcaps, cupholder, and silvery mesh underbasket are all features that add to the overall A+ in the appearance department. i'm not sure how much i'll appreciate the foam handles after a while, since they are a very light colored grey, but they're comfortable and also add to the charm of the stroller. i think black foam would have produced a different, overall feel. to protect the handles from unsightly discoloration, i may invest in another stroller bag to keep this baby in, once i start towing it around in my trunk.

the cupholder is awesome. it's not huge, though, and a kleen kanteen only *just* fits. also, it says that it shouldn't be used to carry anything more than six ounces which i found so amusing, i took a picture of the warning:


seriously? what is six ounces? a child-sized frosty comes to mind.

photo source: dosomething.org

i can get past that. i'm sure the cup holder would safely hold a 16 oz. bottle of water or even a 22 oz. cup of soda or tea. it does stick out to the side, rather than towards the back, but it folds up when not in use or when you need to squeeze through a tight space.

the harness buckle also appeals to my senses with it's rounded appearance and clear connector pieces. my logical side wonders if this clear plastic connector won't break with repeated use, but i'm pretty careful with my things and will be just slightly more gentle than i normally would when buckling and unbuckling my little ones.

also worth mentioning is that the shoulder harness connects to the belt by sliding on the top of the clear buckle. as you can see there is nothing to keep it connected once you slide it on, so it does slide off rather easy and may have to be reattached every time you buckle up. this may be considered a drawback but another thing i like about the harness system, overall, is that it's super easy to use and adjust. there are only two positions and without the seat liner, you just slide the harness out of a loop that keeps it in the lowest position, which is attached to the front of the seat itself. not having to thread the shoulder harness through the back of the seat is nice.

now, one of the best things about the silver cross fizz is that the seat height is a whopping and impressive 21" tall from the seat bottom to the top. the shoulder harness does not take full advantage of this height and it is not long enough to use the five-point system with my tall four year old, but he is an experienced enough rider that i'm comfortable with just using the belt's three-point system, or even *gasp* not buckling him at all.

here, you can see how comfortable a 41.5" tall child sits in the fizz:


his head does not, i repeat it DOES NOT touch the top of the canopy and it just barely touches the top of the seat back. i wish i had a volo to compare seat back heights but from memory, it's at least 2" shorter than the fizz seat and my four year old's head has definitely been above the backs of all maclarens for at least a year - of course the stroller seats still provide support, but i love love love the fact that the top of his head is not only fully supported by the fizz, but that it doesn't brush up against the canopy hood, whether it's closed or not.


here, you can see that his head is right at (or maybe even slightly below, but i think he was leaning forward a bit) the top of the seat back. also, the canopy is closed in this picture, though you can't really tell, but you can see that the fabric is not touching his head.


here you can see that the canopy is fully extended and there is at least 4" of clearance between his head and the top of the fabric. i read somewhere online that the distance between the inner top of the canopy and the seat bottom in the maclaren volo is 26" - i have no idea how this was measured since there are all sorts of angles one can take such measurement but from the seat bottom on the fizz, straight up to the front of the canopy, the clearance is 28".

so how does the silver cross fizz really compare to maclarens?
let's look at the volo and fizz first...

the maclaren volo has a mesh seat and the fizz has a mesh seat with a padded center and a removable, reversible quilted seat liner made of soft canvas-like material. if you're familiar with the silver cross pop you will appreciate the difference in material that shows both an improvement in overall quality and feel in this silver cross product. the seat back, as mentioned earlier, is also taller than maclaren seats by at least two inches. the volo weighs a few pounds less than the fizz but has far less to offer.

so why do i compare the fizz to the triumph? the seat recline and the seat liner, mostly. while the recline on the triumph is slightly more of an actual recline and the feature on the fizz is really just a wee bit of variability, it does provide a better napping experience for the sleeping child (in the volo, my toddler's head would often flop forward and i'd have to push the stroller on the back two wheels to keep him breathing comfortably). the triumph may recline more than the fizz and it might even sit more upright but i really like the fizz seat, overall. it is made to cradle the child and reminds me of a hammock, even though it doesn't incline to a fully upright position, it is supportive and comfortable. the recline only adjusts two or three inches and the total degree of recline is probably not suitable for newborns (neither is the triumphs) but it is a smooth operation with a pull toggle on the seat back (similar to the triumph) so it will not wake your napping child.

the seat liner is more substantial on the fizz than the triumph and offers more comfortable padding so that your toddler won't complain that the backside of their knees are hurting, which may happen in both a volo or triumph. because of this, i might stretch a comparison to the quest. the canopy on the fizz also reminds of the shape and size of the canopy on the quest and because the fizz is slightly more "featured" with the cupholder i'd suggest it as an important consideration for people looking into this category of umbrella strollers. i am not a fan of putting newborns in umbrella strollers, no matter the recline, but the quest is suggested for babies 6 months and up, same as the fizz. i have put both of my younger children in a quest before they were six months old because they could both sit up unassisted before then and i think the recline is similar enough to a carseat that even a baby of two or three months can safely spend some time in it, if reclined fully. i would say the same is true for the fizz, especially with the hammock-effect the seat has.

compared to the latest MSRP of volos at $130 and full-price quests running $245, the fizz is the best value at $139. if you can find a deal on ebay or shnoop that should be considered a bonus because the fizz is so great that it is one of the few things i wouldn't regret paying full price for.

skip hop pop!

can i just say that i am eagerly awaiting the release of the new skip hop spring pattern?

the pop flower dash is showing up on a few websites but is not actually available yet, according to skip hop reps.


i hear it will be out in time for mother's day and i'm definitely dropping hints!

deceptively delicious really is!

delicious, that is. i'm not too sure about the deceptive part.

my oldest two children are not picky eaters and they love fruits and vegetables.

bean, the nearly fourteen year old, is so adventurous he actually tried sushi long before i ever did.

jury is still out on sprout since we're only beginning our foray into solid foods.
so far, so good.

anyhow, i had seen deceptively delicious on bookshelves all over the place, from barnes and noble to target, and the delightful illustrations always caught my eye. the charming retro feel, reminscent of grandma's betty crocker cookbooks, also warmed my heart. but for the longest time i couldn't bring myself to buy a book based on the idea that one must deceive their family in order to feed them better.

when i saw a copy on the bargain shelves at hastings i decided to take the plunge and get over the implied deception. to be honest, i'm pretty bad about serving up as much fresh produce as i should in the wintertime, so the idea of pureeing vegetables ahead of time to add to recipes at a moment's notice was quite appealing. my children could easily witness the steaming or roasting and pureeing of vegetables. they would think it was funny that the butternut squash or cauliflower was in the macaroni and cheese, instead of next to it.

so i bought it and pored over it for a few days, my mouth watering in anticipation of some of the wonderful looking dishes.

my only caveat is that "deceptively delicious" promotes the use of non-stick cooking spray (in nearly every recipe, even when it seems completely pointless) as well as margarine and low-fat dairy products. if it were truly a health-conscious book it might rely less on outdated information and provide insight into the concerns of using unnecessary chemicals and synthetic ingredients as kitchen staples.

i personally have mixed feelings about excessive dairy consumption but choose to use regular (full fat) cheeses and 2% milk, when purchasing cow's milk. we also use real butter and olive or coconut oil (and sometimes canola) in place of vegetable oils. so i'm coming from a totally different, non-mainstream camp and happily report that these recipes can be altered to suit individual preferences.

overall, "deceptively delicious" definitely delivers some inspiration and ideas i may not have otherwise come across. however, i think i'll pass on the avocado-enhanced chocolate cake.

breathe. focus. live.

i think i've mentioned before that i recently started to acquire oak meadow materials so that i can be fully prepared when i start homeschooling the little ones.

it is suggested that you follow a yoga program with your children as early as preschool and i've been waiting for just the right trade or used set to come along before purchasing the materials. since becoming a barefoot books ambassador i decided to just go ahead and get the yoga planet set they offer, as i've been intrigued by the concept since i saw an ad in mothering magazine, some time ago.

so far pea ( formerly known as my three year old) and i have been having "yoga breaks" throughout the day where i let him pick three cards from the yoga pretzels deck (i'm saving the other deck and the book for christmas) and we work through the poses. he is a natural and has so much fun!

i wondered if yoga cards would be as hokey as a children's yoga DVD i once had for bean (formerly known as the oldest), complete with silly poses and activities. i think that's why i held off on purchasing them until now and while some of the suggested commentary on the cards might be considered "silly," it doesn't sound contrived when spoken out loud. i tend to focus mostly on correctly explaining a pose and the importance of posture without also explaining that we're a strong gorilla or soaring airplane. but that's just me. and even for someone like me that once attended twice-weekly yoga classes almost religiously, the poses and, of course, the time spent with my little one are enjoyable even when sprout (formerly known as the baby) is underfoot or testing out his new tricks (pulling himself to stand and promptly falling backwards because he doesn't quite know how to stand unassisted yet). i don't take it too seriously and know i'm not getting a full-on workout but i still feel refreshed and a little bit more grounded after our yoga breaks.

i wasn't expecting to feel so good but it's been a while since i actually did yoga (or any excercise, for that matter). when pregnant with pea, i attended prenatal yoga classes but he wasn't the kind of baby or toddler that stayed in the gym childcare center without screaming so i can't say i picked up any regular workout after he was born. when pregnant of sprout i suffered from severe SPD and the first time i tried yoga, thinking it would help relieve the pain, i was worse off than when i started and unable to get up off the floor for thirty minutes. so it's been years, to say the least, since i've done anything that resembled yoga practice. needless to say, i was surprised by the rewards of taking such a small yogic step.

i am also amazed at how eager the pea is to do yoga first thing every morning, before bed, and when the mood strikes. by the time sprout is old enough to join us, pea will be my little yogi master!

i am not only promoting this because i am a barefoot ambassador, but because i truly believe in the wonder of this, and all other barefoot titles. now would be a great time to pick up the set and invite yoga into you and your child's life. barefoot books has extended their winter sale until december 23rd so you can receive 30% off and free shipping until next week!

Barefoot Books Holiday Sale

if you are not familiar with barefoot books now would be the time to get acquainted with one of the best publishers of children's books around! i am serious, i love these books! not only are they beautifully illustrated, but the storytelling is exquisite and rich and creates a place of calm and quiet in both the reader and the listener.

since receiving my first order of barefoot books i am happily reinstating our strict bedtime routine of two stories and snuggles, and not because i look forward to toddler bedtime but because i'm excited and inspired, once again, to offer my child something solid and structured at the end of our busy days *and* most importantly it no longer feels like a chore. i had been reading several "character" books that were beyond dull and trite. it was difficult for me to trudge through the storyline and my three year old could probably sense my lack of enthusiasm. i think the lack of rich, engaging stories is one reason i so easily abandoned our storytime for scrubs re-runs after i had the baby.

but now i honestly have a set of books that we will share over and over again, that will grow with my children. for the past four nights, i have read from the barefoot book of pirates or storytree and each night my three year old has said, "i just love these books."

i know that as my younger two children grow, the stories won't grow old and boring, but rather more rich and meaningful as if they're hearing them for the first time.

i love that i don't have to "pre-screen" the books to make sure there's nothing inappropriate in the plot. in fact, i was slightly worried about the pirate book at first, but quickly found that each story was actually quite heartwarming with heroics and morals, not just needless pirate violence.

i am currently awaiting a pretty large order and the illustrations in the books i just received are so wonderful i wish i had ordered more hardcovers. the variety of authors and illustrators is a booklovers dream and with their current holiday sale, there's no reason not to get acquainted with barefoot books and introduce them to the children in your life, whether they're already avid readers or you'd like to instill a love of learning and reading. until december 15th, enjoy 30%off and free shipping with no minimum order.