Posts in It’s All New To Ju!

Juju’s First Zoo Day!

It's All New To Ju! August 19, 2020 17 Comments

Hello Fellow Juju Lovers!

We had a few days off from daycare this week so we made an impromptu trip to the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, PA.

Juju had never been to the zoo and as summer quickly starts to wind down, I wanted to try to get some fun stuff in before the weather changes. Thanks to the pandemic we had to cancel two week long vacations we had planned for this summer.

Insert: Zoo Day!

There was some damage done to the zoo a few weeks back when we had a really sever tropical storm. The zoo got flooded and had to close for a few days, not to mention relocate a bunch of animals . The zoo had just reopened after the pandemic and really didn’t need this extra burden. Despite all that, the Zoo was open and had lots of fun things for a little guy like Juju to get into!

Want to help the Elmwood Park Zoo get back on track? Click here for more info!

Some of the highlights of the afternoon for Juju were the Owls, The Percussion Garden and its oversized xylophone, the fountain, and the giraffes.

Check out some of the pics below!

We had a Blast!

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*Some of the links featured in this blog are from affiliates who compensate me. However, this does not influence my evaluations. All opinions are my own.*

Finding The Right Products For Juju’s 4A Hair.

It's All New To Ju! August 11, 2020 23 Comments

Hi Fellow Juju Lovers!

I’ve been a bit of a product junkie with Juju’s hair because I desperately needed to find the right products to keep his delicate strands moisturized.

Juju’s hair is prone to fairy knots.

If you don’t know, Fairy knots are actual strands of hair that knot within themselves and often add other adjoining hairs into the mix creating even bigger knots. These tiny knots (so tiny that “fairies” must have made them) are annoying and quite common for curlys and naturals.

Fairy knots are annoying for the adult natural so you can imagine the fight I have with this guy to try to detangle.

He doesn’t like me to touch his hair AT ALL.

I have about 6 seconds to style his hair while he is brushing his teeth in the morning, so let’s just say finding the right product was a must.

I tried out a few popular brands, that I won’t mention because I absolutely hated them. Ironically they were the same products that almost everyone in the world loved, but my 3C hair hated. Not realizing how similar our hair textures were (fine), I tried them out to failing results.

At the recommendation of another mom in a Facebook Group, I tried Camille Rose.

I tried Camille Rose once as a sample in my Curlbox several years ago. I loved the conditioner, but never tried them again. I recently saw them pop up on the short list of hair product lines that are still Black Owned and decided now was a great time to give them another whirl.

I am so glad I did!

The consistency of this product was so light, but so rich and creamy. As I mentioned earlier, I have about 6 seconds to quickly add product to Juju’s hair and work through. This sundae glaze is so light I can quickly rub it through his hair vertically (3 secs) and then take a second pass to separate his curls horizontally ( 3 secs). Let me tell you, this product can be placed on the hair and it will SEEP on through and about 5 minutes later my baby’s curls were hydrated and unfrizzy.

Not sure what your hair type is? Find out here!

Juju’s hair is also low porosity. So it requires a slightly different technique to get moisture in AND keep it sealed in. I use the LOC (liquid, oil, cream) method to moisturize every other day.

These products smell so good (like mandarin oranges) and work so well that I started using it in my hair as well.

Want to try Camille Rose for yourself? Scroll down to find the links to purchase the products featured in this blog!

Our Nightly L.O.C. Routine

My Camille Rose Favorites!

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*Some of the links featured in this blog are from affiliates who compensate me. However, this does not influence my evaluations. All opinions are my own.*

Camille Rose Kids Sundae Glaze, 8 fl oz

Camille Rose Kids Brown Butter, 4 fl oz

CAMILLE ROSE NATURALS Honey Hydrate Leave In, 9 FZ

Welcome Back Sports!

It's All New To Ju! August 3, 2020 13 Comments

Basketball Is Back!

Juju and Daddy are so excited that basketball (all sports really!) made its return this week. The are completely unbothered by the lack of actual fans and aspire to become virtual fans at least once this season. Sports is something Daddy has shared with Juju ever since he was just a bump. It’s no surprise that Juju came out loving the energy around the house on game day.

Go Sixers!

These Two Are Ready For The Season!

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*The links featured in this blog are from affiliates who compensate me a vey small commission if you purchase from my site. Of course, at no additional cost to you. However, this does not influence my evaluations. We only share and promote items that we personally own or recommend*

Splish Splashing At The Spray Park!

It's All New To Ju! July 30, 2020 27 Comments

Sunday in the Park!

Most weekends we love to get up early make coffee at home and head out to the park after breakfast. We have a favorite park but didn’t have much time and decided to head to the park around the corner from us.

Plot twist…

I totally forgot this park was remodeled last year and had been upgraded to a SPRAY PARK! How lucky are we to have a fairly off the radar spray park within walking distance from our house?!

Much to our delight when we arrived there was not a child or parent in sight. Juju enjoyed the unpredictable bursts of water and splashing and jumping in the puddles that would form.

I think we found our summer weekend hideaway.

Juju had a blast!

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Happy Half Birthday Juju!

It's All New To Ju! July 22, 2020

Jujubear is half way to 2!

He is smart, funny, silly, thoughtful, and affectionate! Mommy baked him a cake that he will probably take a picture with, but not get to eat because…yeah sugar!

Mom and Dad love you lots Juj!

Shop Juju's Favorite Van Styles!

Summer Reading: Juju’s Top 5 Books For Brown Kiddos!

It's All New To Ju! July 14, 2020 10 Comments

Hello Fellow Juju Lovers!

Can you believe Juju is approaching 18-months?!

I cannot get enough of watching him grow into his personality and start to develop personal interests.

I am an avid reader. Before Juju even came into the world, his bookshelf was stacked with books. While they aren’t the first item he gravitates towards in a room, slowly but surely they are getting and keeping his attention for much longer than they ever have.

A mom in one of my groups on Facebook was looking for books featuring positive images of dark skinned black characters. I search far and wide for books by black authors and with black and brown characters to line Juju’s bookshelf with. Why? So that Juju can see himself represented in popular stories, that’s why! After seeing that post, I was prompted to compile a list of our favorite books for brown kiddos! Don’t have a brown kiddo? No problem! Normalizing the black experience is important so its also a great idea to purchase these books for kids of any color!

So without further ado…

Juju's Favorite Books Featuring Brown Characters!

*Some of the links featured in this blog are from affiliates who compensate me. However, this does not influence my evaluations. All opinions are my own.*

Brown Boy Brown Boy What Can You Be?

This is a cute story with simple rhymes that Juju really loves. The illustrations are a great talking point to review words and sounds with your little reader.

Jabari Jumps

This book exhibits great images of a strong father and son relationship. It also promotes themes of positive male masculinity. Added bonus that it tackles risk taking and establishing trust.

Sulwe

This is a book we have been waiting to get our hands on. Brought to us by Hollywood It Girl, Lupita N’yongo and illustrated by Vashti Harrison. This book dives head first into colorism in an easy to digest kid-friendly format.

Chocolate Me!

Written by Taye Diggs, this is another book that perfectly deals with instilling a sense of pride in ones skin color. It features characters displaying a healthy attitude towards being a beautiful chocolate kid!

“Bloop, Bloop!” Goes the Poop

We are nearing potty training age so I had to go on a hunt for a potty training book featuring black characters. And this is the only one I found.

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Juju’s Latest Obsession

It's All New To Ju! Juju June 24, 2020 12 Comments

Hello Friends!

Juju is so smitten with this weaning Table!

What’s a weaning table?

A weaning table and chair fosters your little one’s independence, self-confidence, and competency. The table and chair are purposefully made for your baby’s size and honor their dignity by meeting them right where they are.

While the high chair allows your little one to participate in family meals, it is too large for them to climb in and out of on their own. They have to be lifted in and out of it, and can’t participate in setting their place or cleaning up after themselves. It’s not designed with their needs or abilities in mind. By giving your little one a place to eat that suits their size and capability, you give them a sense of ownership over their own life.

This chair was passed down to Juju from his Grandumi and had been used by many of his older cousins. It was a family right of passage almost. Juju is taking good care of it and we have some snacks on it but usually don’t actually use it for eating. We do use it to focus on Montessori activities and toys or arts and crafts.

Basically we use this any time we want him to focus on just one thing.

Right now, climbing up on the chair and being able to move the chair on his own is very gratifying. Most of the table time is spent sitting, getting back up to adjust the chair and then sitting again. I am not exactly sure what developmental dots he is connecting by doing this, but the proud look on his face proves he certainly IS doing some act of self-care.

How old was your child when you added a small table and chair or desk to their play area? Drop me a comment and tell me all about how its done around your home!

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*Some of the links featured in this blog are from affiliates who offer me a small compensation if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. However, this does not influence my evaluations. All opinions are my own. We only promote products we personally own or would use*

Melissa & Doug Tables & Chairs 3-Piece Set - Natural

IKEA Children's Kids Table & 2 Chairs Set Furniture (1)

Baby Relax Hunter 3 Piece Kiddy Table and Chair Set, Gray

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Looking For A Cool Toddler Blog?

It's All New To Ju! Juju June 21, 2020

It's All New To Ju!

There is an entire section of this blog dedicated to my playful toddler Juju. He is 1 1/2 years old and learning so much every day.

He is a fashionable young man with a growing collection of cool sneakers!

Keep an eye out for his posts where I will share his daily schedule, favorite activities, review his favorite products, and just show him being the super silly boy he is! There will also be links to shop his closet and sneaker collection.

*The shop Juju’s collection section contain affiliate links which pays this blog a tiny commission when you make a purchase, at no additional charge to you. Each click and purchase helps us keep this blog running!*

Scroll to the top of the page and click “Its All New To Ju” for all his posts!

I'm Also On

Sensory Play On A Budget

It's All New To Ju! Parenting June 7, 2020 10 Comments

Hi Peeps!

I wanted to do a quick post about some of the activities we were doing around the house with our 16 month old. We are currently coming out of an 80 day lockdown in Philadelphia, and during that time at home we had to get creative to replicate the activity level my son is used to getting at daycare.

Let me start by saying…

My family and I are truly blessed to have made it through this pandemic virtually unscathed. I was able to comfortably work from home while my husband watched the baby (thankfully not working from home but still getting paid). We had food, shelter, and even plenty of toilet paper to keep us happily indoors. We enjoyed watching milestones we would have otherwise missed if my son was in daycare. We also did some much needed spring cleaning and minimizing (Marie Kondo would be proud).

Now that we have hit toddlerhood, the range of activities we can try out has vastly expanded. One of our favorites is…

SENSORY PLAY!

Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your young child’s senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing.

Sensory activities facilitate exploration and naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore. The sensory activities allow children to refine their thresholds for different sensory information helping their brain to create stronger connections to process and respond to sensory information.

Since we love FREE and EASY…

Our sensory material of choice is WATER PLAY! It literally requires nothing but a bucket or bowl and any random household items or waterproof toys.

Sensory Materials we use:

Balls
Bath Toys
Applesauce Pouch caps
Wooden spoons

Baby loves every minute of it and it’s always stimulating enough to his senses to incite a nap!

5 minute Sensory Idea

Sometimes after meals when Ju isn’t ready to get out just yet but he is done eating, we give him a bowl full of water and a wooden spoon and he goes to town. Water play is just that simple!

Tell me what sensory activities you are doing with your toddler so I can give them a try! I’m new to this and always looking to expand on FREE and EASY summer fun, so drop me a comment and share your favorite!