Shopping with Izzy

Weaning Day 1

Izzy and Snow White

Wow, I still am in shock! This is my first EVER successful bedtime without her nursing herself to sleep.  The funny part about it was that it just happened.  I was fully prepared to let her nurse until she was in a deep sleep.  We did our typical routine, dinner, a bath, and then in her room to wind down for bed.  I turned out the lights and we laid down together with just her Snow White doll  to keep us company. Initially, I let her nurse and she stopped on her own to play.  Mommy acted as her jungle gym for about ten minutes before she was ready for bed.  She asked and then demanded for the boob, smacking me in the chest to emphasize her point.  Each time I just said,
"Sorry baby no more boo boo" and stroked her back or stomach.  Frustrated, she kept tossing and turning since she was unable to fall asleep.  She noticed her Snow White doll cuddled up with it and finally fell asleep on her own.  It only took 45 minutes from start to finish but I feel like this is a good start.  Wish me luck mommies, this momma is going to try to wean!

Best Buds

Izzy and Oscar

There is nothing better to watch then a friendship starting to blossom. We got our dog, Oscar an American Eskimo in 2005. I love him but sometimes he can be a butt head. He's a little white dog that looks a little like Bolt. He picked up some bad habits from my mom's dog namely barking. He's also pretty protective of us.

Sharing secrets

So while I was pregnant my biggest concern was how he'd be with Izzy. As soon as she was born he knew she was apart of his pack. Every time she cried he'd come find us. Now that she's walking and eating solids he's her best free. A highchair dog is a happy dog.

These days they follow each other around. Him, when she has food. Her, every other time. I've seen her crawl into his bed with him and cuddle. Ahhh.... best buds.

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Slowly but Surely

Day 5 since I got this cold.  It dug in its claws deeply and doesn't look like it going to walk away without a last word.  I had the congestion, sinus pressure and sore throat.  Now my allergies are adding their two cent and adding an extra boost of wheezing and a hacking cough.  Sometimes it really sounds like I'm coughing up a lung.  On the bright side my voice has taken on that rough sexy sound, haha!  Ahh well, it's raining, cold and ugly outside so at least I'm not missing out on time outside with my little.  I do have a bit more energy than earlier this week.  Here's to getting better sooner than later!  Have a great weekend mommies! 

Giveaway at Madame Deals: Coupon Solutions

Great giveaway at Madame Deals:
Well it just isn’t fair to give you cut coupons each week and not give you a storage solution! We are going to give one of our lucky readers a coupon solution. It retails for $34.99 but I save hundreds each month because of it! I have changed the way my friends coupon because of it.

To Enter, Head over to Madame Deals!

This contest is only open to United States Residents.  Giveaway ends Sunday, February 27th at 10pm.

Taking a Bite

I think I'm taking a bigger bite than I can chew. I just started blogging in January for the first time ever. Yes, a month ago. I was feeling the urge to reconnect and find a place to find other moms, SAHM that are also going through what I am. I am really enjoying this time to put out my two cents on all the crazy it is to be a mom.

Once I started finding and looking at all your great blogs out there it motivated me to do the same. I thought, "Hey, I could do that." What a great idea to be home with my daughter and still find away to make some money or at the very least find discounts for all the things she needs.

I think the look of my blog is slowly coming around but I think that I'm trying to do too much at once. My goal is to progress my blog into a "real" product review blog with actual companies.  At the moment I'm juggling getting more followers, streamlining my page, joining other blogging communities, and tackling the blogging learning curve.  I think I am going stop trying to do everything and just do one thing at a time.

So I want to thank all the mommies out there that have stopped by and became followers of my blog.  This blog is still evolving so be patient with me.  If you have any tips or how to-s, I'm all ears.  Well, in this case it would be all eyes.  HAR HAR! 

My little trouble maker

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Heading to the Park

I live in Sunny San Diego.  No, I'm not bragging.  This entire winter the weather has been suffering from a case of multiple personality disorder. 

Play area at Balboa Park

One day it will be in the 60's with an overcast and a breeze.  The next day it will be in the mid to upper 70's.  Doesn't sound so bad if you're from the east coast but it's lead to a number of colds in this family when we're out expecting one kind of weather when it's flips to another one.


Now that spring is on the way here I've been trying to get Izzy out more

Tot lot down the street

often to spend time in the sun.  Lately, we've been touring the local parks.  It's a great way for mommy to work on shrinking her but-tes-se-mo too.  We've toured 3 local park near our house, the community tot lot, Santee Park and Mast Park.  The best one so far is the one by Balboa park.  They have huge sand pits, picnic tables, grassy areas and two different jungle gyms.  We're looking forward to nicer weather to check out the SD Zoo and the Wild Animal Park.  What are you looking forward to with your toddler now that spring is in the air?

Thursday Blog Hops

Techy help, anyone?

Hi mommies!  Can someone out there explain in "How to Do it for Dummies" Style how to add someone's button/badge to your page?  I'd love to post some but I have no clue how to do it.  :)  Thanks in advance!

Is it Friday yet?

Up to no good face

I'm going to deviate from my usual tract today.  The start of this week hasn't been pretty at all.  Sunday, I started to get the feelings of possible mastitis on my left side.  I'm slowly weaning my daughter (at least trying to) and I was feeling a little sore on that side and a little achey when I woke up on Sunday.  After closer inspection yup, I could feel a lump and some tenderness.  A quick background, I've had mastitis before so I know the signs and what to do when I think it's coming back. 

For moms out there that have been fortunate enough not to experience this. Mastitis is an infection within the breast tissue.  There are a few ways it can develop but in my case it was through milk stasis.  Since I have had mastitis before I am also more prone to another outbreak.  Mastitis can occur when your breast milk does not completely drain which adds pressure on the ducts and leakage of milk into surrounding breast tissue, which can lead to pain and inflammation. Symptoms include tenderness on the infected breast, red streaks, and flu like symptoms (fever, general weakness). For more information on mastitis follow this link to the Mayo Clinic. 

Luckily, I caught it early and was able to take steps to prevent it from worsening.  I made sure I lead breastfeeding sessions with that side and expressed what was left over.  I also applied warm compacts with the Booby Tubes I wrote about in a previous post. That was Sunday-Monday.

Tuesday, little Izzy had a 102 temperature and was Miss Cranky most of the day.  Today, I'm sick with a head cold. So I have the sinus pressure, sore throat, congestion, etc.  So far this week, ugh!  

GroBag

We've all heard not to put anything in the baby's bed except the baby to prevent suffocation.  That means no cute stuffed toys or blankets to keep the baby warm.  Even after a certain age the crib bumpers have to go too.  My sister found a sleeping bag style baby blanket that she gave me to try out.  It's called the Grobag.  I'm sure you've seen similar styles at Babies R Us or other baby stores.  There are similar style from Halo Innovations or the Slumbersac.  We got a few of the halo from our baby shower that we used until she was about 6 months old.

I like the Grobag more because of the way it's made.  It seems like it's easier to put a sleeping baby in the Grobag because it flips open completely and you only have to slide in one arm instead of two.  The one we have has snaps on the left shoulder and zippers on the side.  It's also thicker than the halo bags.  They do come in different thickness.  The thickness for our grow bag is 2.5 TOG.  The best way to explain that is our house can be around 63 degrees and she stays warm and toasty with just a night shirt on underneath.

Since it open up completely I've been able to change her diaper while she's asleep without waking her up.  That's a huge plus in my book.  The Grobag company has a few different product from swaddlers and Grobags to fitted blankets for bigger kids.  My daughter loves her Grobag, now she's old enough to understand when I lay it out she sits on it waiting to be zipped up for "night night time".  This are especially great for cooler climates.  I hope this helps.

Booby Tubes

Yes, the name makes me cringe a little too. For the breastfeeding moms out there. Breastfeeding and trying to wean your child is a balancing act. Your goal is to slowly decrease the number of feedings while preventing your breasts from becoming engorged or worse developing mastitis. My sister gave me a pair of booby tubes and I didn't have a reason to use them until now.

Booby tubes are made by Earth Mama Angel Baby. The tubes are made with a 100% organic cotton shell and filled with all-natural flax seed.  They can be either heated or chilled depending on your nursing needs.

Store Booby TubesTM in the freezer and wear them inside your bra between feeding to help:

• reduce the swelling and tenderness of engorgement
• comfort breasts during weaning

I just placed a paper towel in the microwave and put the Booby Tubes in for 30 second and wore it on the outside of my top.  They stay warm for a long time and can be reheated repeatedly without any problems. Heating the booby tubes will help with

• encourage milk flow
• maintain open milk ducts to prevent clogged ducts
• promote let-down
• comfort the symptoms of infection or mastitis

When I had similar problems my OBGYN suggested that I try "boob in a bowl".  Which is exactly as it sounds.  I used to take a large bowl and fill it up with warm water and have to stand hunched over with my boob in the bowl.  It was not comfortable at all and it was hard to get the full benefits when the baby woke up and needed me.  I like the fact that you can either chill or heat them.  So if one day your bundle of love thinks your nipple is a teething toy, just pop it in the freezer for a little bit to help relief the ache.  Or it you're in the same boat as me and trying to wean your little one microwave them for 30 seconds.  They're having a sale right now, regular price is $19.95 and the sale price is $15.95.  I hope this helps.

Follow Me Chickadee Tuesdays! 2.15.11

The Life of a Sippy Cup Mom!, Stash Mama, Lilac City Momma and One + One=Four have teamed up to cohost Follow Me, Chickadee!

We would like to introduce our newest host! Tara has a blog called Dandy Giveaway and it is THE place to go for lots of great giveaways! Make sure you check her out and welcome her as the newest host to Follow Me, Chickadee!

Each week, simply stop by at any of these FIVE blogs for a chance to link up and meet new and exciting bloggers!

All we ask is that you follow a few simple guidelines:

• Add a main link to your blog each week (Linky will open every Monday night at 10 p.m. EST!)
• 
  
• Follow whichever blog you like; all we ask is that you leave a comment telling them that you found them from Follow Me, Chickadee!
• 
  
• You don’t have to follow every blog that follows you…but make sure that you follow the blogs that really interest you!
• 
  
• If you want to put the blog hop code or the Chickadee button on your Tuesday post on your blog, we welcome it!

The New Children's Museum San Diego

3rd floor play area

If you ever find yourself in Southern California and you are looking for a kid friendly place for your child to have a blast.  I suggested checking out The New Children's Museum in San Diego.  My family headed there today with Izzy in tow.  My daughter Isabel or Izzy for short turned 17

Easels

months yesterday and my husband and I decided to take her someplace new today to celebrate.  It's open every day except Wednesday and the 2nd Sunday's are free.  The admission is reasonable it is $10 per person and $5 for military.  I have to warn you, the name seems a bit deceptive.  It seemed more to me like a discovery center then a museum, so don't expect traditional exhibits. 

market/grocery area

This place has three levels of fun.  The bottom level has a jump for joy in the shape of a tunnel, easels for coloring and an imagination area with dress up hats and fun house mirrors.  The second level has a cafe, market/grocery area with props, musical tubes, two dress up play area, and an arts and crafts area with supplies ranging from chalk to clay.  There is also a self propelled cart area.  Izzy is way too young to try

Izzy showing her "ta-daa"trick in the cafe

these out but I was eying them very closely.  Alas, we were there for my daughter so mommy "just said no" to taking one of those babies for a whirl.  The cafe offered sandwiches, coffee, juice, chips, cookies etc.  However, if you have time to plan before you stop by, plan to bring food.  The cafe was WAY overpriced.  We spent $25 for two sandwiches, two bags of chips and a chocolate milk.  For that price I would expect something more substantial. 

Rain house

The third floor has a few interesting things.  There is a bubble station on the patio with multiple bubble solution and "make it yourself" bubble makers.  The bubble makers were just pieces of tube cleaners twisted into shapes.  At least I think that's what they are called.  There is a "rain forest" house.  Inside there is the sounds of the rain forest playing with a foam matted area for the kids to run and play in.  Izzy spent her time just running from one side of the house to the other.  There is also a huge table filled with different kinds of toy blocks.  Both Izzy and my hubby had fun building together while I was hunting for the best shot.  The third floor also has access into a Trojan Horse Model and a rope climbing area. 

table of blocks

My thoughts about The New Children's Museum are a thumbs up!  If you're child is at least able to stand and sit unassisted then they will have a great time there.  The more mobile they are the more activities they will be able to join in.  Izzy was able to run around and explore every spot.  For the price, it was worth it.  She was excited and engaged the entire time we were there and she used up enough energy to knock out on the way home.  I hope this "review" helped out.  Add a comment if you've been there with your experience.

Project One - Photography

One of the projects I wanted to pick up was photography.  Capturing better pictures of my daughter is motivating me to pick up this new hobby.  I was just using my cell phone since it was always close when I saw her doing something photo worthy.  The pictures from my previous iphone and my android aren't bad but I wanted something better.  My daughter is smack dab in the middle of toddler-hood and I didn't want to loose the chance to capture these moments while she's still young.  The fist thing I had to do was get a better camera.  Luckily, my BIL jumped in and saved us from spending a lot of money.  Fortunately, he is a photography buff and just upgraded.  So we got the hand me down.  It's actually a really nice camera.  I'm now the proud owner of a Canon EOS 350D. 

Nate and Izzy

Today, my sister and I brought the babies to Balboa Park at the playground there.  It's located near the Reuben H. Science Center.  There are two separate play areas  with the soft matting underneath.  It's surrounded by picnic tables and a large grass areas.  There are also a number of sand pits.  I haven't taken a photography class yet but I broke out my canon to just mess around.  I think I took over 120 pictures and I only found less then 5 shots that are pretty good.

Not too bad for my first time. I'm still looking for a good photography class that's still cost effective.  Anyone know one located in San Diego? 

San Diego Botanic Garden

Today my sister and I drove up to Encinitas, CA to spend a few hours at the San Diego Botanic Garden. She told me that there was a children's area there that the kids would be around with run around and play. I'm always looking for new places to take Isabel that she'll be able to grab things without me worrying too much that she'll either break it or hurt herself. The weather was a little chilly today, yes San Diego gets chilly, sometimes. There was an over cast and a slight breeze which a heavier jacket handled quite nicely.

The San Diego Botanic Garden features desert landscapes, a tropical rain forest, Mediterranean landscapes, an herb garden, fruit garden and more all on 37 acres.  There is admission: adults $12, seniors, students and military $8, children 3-12 $6 and parking is $2.  We headed straight for the Hamilton Children's Garden.  The website says it's the largest interactive children's garden on the West Coast.  Armed with high expectations we hiked with the strollers and the kiddos.   

From SDBG's website

There are a few separate areas to explore, a tree house, music, arts and crafts, stream, fountain, and alphabet garden.  There was a tree house with soft matting on the floor with two tunnels crawl through, a net to climb and spiral staircase to the upper levels.  On the upper levels there was two look out stations with netting to crawl through to get to them.  Great places to explore and imagine but the tree house is better suited for preschool and up.

There is a man made stream with rock and toy boats free to use in the stream.  Although, the kids were more interested playing in the water then sailing the boats. There is a music area with wooden, metal and stone pieces set up like xylophones.  There were also a metal jug, wooden frog, tambourine and rain makers for the kids to explore.  Next to this was an area for arts and crafts with large chalk boards.  This area did not have any available supplies for drop in public that I was able to see.  

Besides this is a huge sand play area.  There are available toys like shovels, play food, and dump trucks.  We spent most of our time here since the rest of the garden was not as toddler friendly.  They had a blast here and played pretend chefs and diggers. The website lists a number of activities.

• Every Friday from 2-4pm is Science Friday with insects, plants and birds to observe. 
• Saturday Slugs from 11-12:30pm.
• First Saturday: Math/Science
• Come and learn about the plants and wildlife in our garden.
• Second Saturday: Storytelling
• There will be stories to listen to under the shade structure at the upper level.
• Third Saturday: Gardening
• Come and help in the garden with weeding, planting, or harvesting worm castings to feed the plants.
• Fourth Saturday: Art
• Express yourself with paint, clay, or help create a mural for our art garden.

Would I go again?  Unfortunately, not for a few years.  I think the drive, cost and the activities are not worth it for toddlers.  I do think that it's a great place for children to discover and observe nature.  However, for it to be worth the effort I would wait until my daughter is able to join in all the garden has to offer.

Fisher-Price Deluxe Booster Seat

I started this blog for a place to talk about my life as a mom. As a first time mom, I've tried out a ton of different baby products searching for the perfect right fit for Izzy and decrease my stress level a notch or two. Through my experimenting we've tried products throughout the spectrum from high end products to cost effective ones. So why not share my experience with other first time moms or moms-to-be to save them the cost and hassle that I went through. So here goes, my first Mama Tales product review.

At our baby shower we received a typical high chair. I won't go into to much description on that one. Let's just say that it was hard to maneuver around the house and hard to get out the food gunk that ended up everywhere. There was also the problem of what to do when we went outside our home whether it was to visit the family or friends during meal times. If you don't have a child in the toddler age-group then let's just say that trying to hold one on your lap during meal times is not fun nor pretty. I think I wore more of her dinner than I was able to get into her mouth.

I do a lot of my shopping via Amazon mainly to avoid traffic with a toddler in tow. During a search for the perfect travel high chair I came across the Fisher-Price Deluxe Booster Seat. What initially drew me in was that it had an average rating of 5 stars out of 933 reviews. The booster seat comes in two colors either red/white or blue/green/gray. The seat attaches to the bottom of the chair and the back of the chair with adjustable plastic buckles/clips which that adjust to fit virtually any chair. The chair itself also has three height adjustments and three-point harness adjusts to hold growing child securely. There are two trays, a blue one and a white one and a cover that keeps the trays clean during travel. The white tray fits in the blue tray and comes with a separate section for a drink. The trays are really easy to clean and white tray can be removed easily to use the blue one. It also comes with a strap for easy carrying. We use this booster seat exclusively and it's worked during long distance travel, at a reception for a wedding we attended and on the go at restaurants. We can also use it until Izzy hits 45 pounds which is a plus on our wallets. I hope you enjoyed this review.

Happy New Year

This past week was Chinese/Vietnamese New Year. The year 2011 is the year of the rabbit. According to Chinese tradition, the Rabbit brings a year in which you can catch your breath and calm your nerves. It is a time for negotiation. Don't try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail.

To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security, diplomacy, and your relationships with women and children. Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problem that may arise.

This year we spent it celebrating at my mom's house. Our family tradition starts by enjoying a big meal together, gathered around the table and catching up with each other. This year was the first one where my daughter and my nephew were able to actively participate in the festivities at least for a little while. They were also big enough to dress in the traditional Vietnamese dress, ao dai.

"In Viet Nam, the ao dai is the traditional dress for women. Developed from Chinese court clothing in the 1930s, this style of clothing went out of fashion in the north in 1954 and in the south in 1975. Recently, however, it has made a comeback and is regaining popularity in the south among schoolgirls and office workers, and is being worn at formal functions. An indication of social standing, the ao dai is worn by women who work as shop assistants or who have a higher social status, while manual workers typically wear a loose top and baggy pants called an ao ba ba." To read more information on the history of the ao dai click here.

After lunch the fun begins. From the moment you come into this world the little red envelops are always something the kids look forward to. For them, it's just another way to get a little extra spending money.

The basic idea behind the red envelops are about giving luck to the other person for the new year. It was a really long day, Izzy was busy running around in her hot pink ao dai with matching purse and squeaker shoes. My nephew had his own version on. The two of them looked like miniature cake toppers running around playing.

Pampered Chef Food Chopper

I just want to share with all the moms out there a little gadget that's made my life so much easier these past few days. My daughter is a picky eater. It's gotten a bit worse this past month when some of the tried and true favorites no longer get a second glance. On top of that she is a carb-loader. She's gladly take handfuls of rice, pasta or bread but not much of anything else. The problem with that? It just adds to a problem with constipation. I've tried introducing different types of meats, poultry or fish with no success. Our pediatrician says it has something to do with the texture of cooked meat that kids this age just don't like.

I just started using a food chopper by The Pampered Chef. Can we say miracle!


This little life saver chops meat and vegetables into small enough pieces that I can mix it in with a scoop of rice and she doesn't even know she's getting a little bit extra. I've been able to get spinach, brussel sprouts, and asparagus into her little tummy. For an added effort of camouflage I add a few drops of Maggi. So if you're little one tends to turn up his or her nose to your best efforts for a nutritious meal then try to sneak them in. I've also started slow cooking either chicken or meat bones into a broth that I'll either add to her meal or let her sip. I'm not an expert by any means, just another mom experimenting with her fussy eater. One success is a baby smoothie I concocted to get more fruits, dairy and vitamins in her. She drinks a good amount of it whenever I make it. One ingredient that might seem odd is avocado slices. The Avocado website lists all the great things about them here, but the one I was interested in is "Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid."




Baby Smoothies
1 cup of berries (raspberries, blueberries or blackberries)
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup soy milk
2 slices of avocado
1 tbsp Benifiber (pediatrician suggestion for constipation)

There is some great information on feeding toddlers from the Baby Center website. If your baby is also a carbo-loader check out this article, Picky Eaters: The Carbo Loader by Sarah Henry. There's a lot of great information for moms that are pregnant, trying to get pregnant and raising infants to school-age children. Where do you find your information to helpful hints?

A Day Out

It's nice to finally get out of the house. Since my inlaws are in town we're showing them around Coronado. Coronado is an island in San Diego surrounded by history. The most famous building on the island would be the Hotel del Coronado built in the 1888s it was a popular vacation spot for the rich and famous like Frank Sinatra and John Wayne. Not to mention it's haunted, oooooooo. In 1892 Kate Morgan checked in and has never checked out, muahahahhaa. The hotel also has rental villas overlooking white beaches. It was a relaxing day strolling along the board walk with my family.

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Barking with the Dog

So far I'm loving the app. No errors messages in sight,yet. If this continues to work as well as it is then I can blog away anytime the mood strikes me. As of right now we're doing nap time. Well, she's napping but isn't giving up the boob just yet. The video is a random moment that I was lucky enough to catch on video. My dog Oscar was complaining and Isabel decided to "talk" back. One of my favorite clips of her which I fully intend to show at her wedding. tee-hee

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My Little Girl

The next test is posting pictures with the app. Most of the bad reviews are from this very problem. The one I choose is of my baby girl. This is what my blog is mainly about so why not share some of her redonkulouly cuteness with the world. One small tid bit she understands and asks to call her grandma EVERY day. We've recently upgraded to video calls so she can see her too.

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Blogger App

So I just installed the blogger app on my android. There was mix of good and bad reviews so I'm checking out the free version to see if it's worth it. I got to said that the paid version just tried to rip me off. The list price was $3.99 but wheb I went to confirm the price jumped to $20! I hope that was a glitch and not blogger's way to scam more money from you. So free version trial, it is.

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Newbie Extraordinaire

So I'm getting into this blogging thing during my random spare moments while Izzy is napping or otherwise engaged.  I joined this great site Mom Bloggers Club there I'm been able to see some pretty great looking sites.
Unfortunately, I suck at html, blogging and otherwise techy stuff.  I'm a registered nurse by trade so if you have a cut I can wipe out my trusty utility belt and slap a bandage on the offending slice faster than you can say "ouch". Blood, guts and gore doesn't phase me and I've encountered more offending odors than I can count.  These skills don't help me in the world of blogging.  Fonts, badges, and more are making my head spin.  It's a good thing the Blogger already has present templates otherwise this page would look really ugly.  Pfft!  It's work in progress, please excuse the mess.  Thanks for stopping by!

Munchkin Snack Tower

I just picked up the Munchkin Snack Tower  at Target last week.  I love love love this little thing.  I'm sure you've all been there. Dragging along a huge diaper bag with extra diapers, wipes, change of clothes, bibs, drool clothes, snacks, bottles, cover (if you're nursing), and the list goes on and on.  Those first few months I felt like I was dragging everything, just in case. I was feeling pretty light with just a few diapers, changing pad, wipes, water bottle and some snacks.

Now that Izzy is older I'm decrease the amount of stuff I care with me.  I wanted to streamline it down to the bare necessities.  The snack tower has made my bag so much lighter.  It comes with 5 individualized compartments that snap on top of each other.  You can stack as many of the containers into one tower or make tower separate ones.  Each compartment comes with it's own lid that has a pour spout.  There is also a top lid that comes with a foldaway handle for easy carrying.  The tower puts everything in one place so I don't have to carry 4-5 small containers anymore!  Yeah!  I can't say how much I love this thing.  It's definitely a must have!