Olive & Cocoa – a fantastic combo January 31, 2010

Yesterday, I opened my mail to a rare  treat…a catalog I’ve never heard of before – Olive & Cocoa.

WOW!

Olive and Cocoa  has the three Ps (presentation, product and packaging) in spades!

The collection has everything from modern Martha-worthy floral arrangements to multi-colored Aussie Licorice Box and soft and snuggly baby blankets.

I was shocked to find gifts in all price ranges because everything, including the gift packaging, looks top notch. Cannot wait to give this one a try. Will report back.

My what a MightyNest you have! November 5, 2009

Ok, so I don’t run the most eco-friendly and non-toxic house in town. But I will say one thing…the new site MightyNest.com makes me want to build a better nest! 

MightyNest is a  site where parents can go to read up on all those fun chemicals they keep finding in our baby products like BPA, Lead and phthalates and buy non-toxic, safe and eco-friendly (not to mention cute and fun) products right there on the same site.

No more running around to 40 different stores to find what you want…it’s all right there. Toys, baby bottles, dishware, mattresses, clothing, lunch sacks, water bottles, lotions, lip balm ….you name it!

Of course I’ll be highlighting many of them right here very soon!

Full disclosure:  I blog for MightyNest as their @ecochallenged mom BUT even if I didn’t, I would still love MightyNest…seriously.

 

No, I’m not lying under something heavy October 24, 2009

I’m still here! Just busy with all sorts of blogging things that have kept me from my pursuit!. Here are some fun posts to show you what I’ve been doing….

Interviewing Uma and Minnie on Famebaby 

Taking on eco-challenges over at MightyNest (i need support! @ecochallenged)

Giving away strollers on BabyCenter’s Momformation.com 

Showing off the loves of my life over at samandjack.com

But don’t fret. I’ve got tons of cute things in my head that need to come out soon.  I’ll be back!

Finally…a bib to take on Aunt Jemima. July 26, 2009

How hard can it be to find a good bib? As it turns out…pretty darn difficult!

Hate to break it to you but those cute little teeny tiny bibs you get at your baby shower turn out to be pretty useless when the food starts flying. And despite my many attempts to like those waterproof bibs with the pocket that catches the food, I despise them! How do you wipe food remnant off a little  face with one of those?  

Luckily, I found the perfect bib at one of my favorite online spots, baby star. These bibs are plenty big enough to take on the sticky syrup drips from Jack’s morning pancakes. Plus, like all of baby star’s stuff, you can choose from a whole array of bright, colorful and unique fabric designs with no duckies, bunnies or sassy quotes in sight.

They are also thicker than your standard bib and the back is lined with a soft courduroy which not only looks cute, but the extra weight helps keep the bib from turning into a bib-ball in the wash.

Really, the only thing stopping me from raiding their entire supply is the price – $17.99. Usually, I can get about 3-4 bibs for this price but nowhere near the quality – so that’s the trade-off.

I ended up with the Kaleidoscope and Hopscotch Blue designs for the boys. Which design(s)do you like the best?

Check out my review of baby star’s new Star Nursing Blanket at BabyCenter’s Momformation.com!

BABYSTYLE IS COMING BACK! July 11, 2009

Dear babystyle – I promise to never take you for granted again! Hurry up!

The quest for the perfect T-toddler prep edition July 9, 2009

As you know, I’m constantly on the hunt for the perfect T for my husband. Well, like just about everything else around here, he’s taking a backseat to the kids now because I’ve seen some of THE CUTEST vintage t-shirts for little boys lately!

Preppy, rocker, hippie, superhero, cartoon characters, college stuff….there’s really something for everyone. The trick is finding something a little edgy and cool without being inappropriate and/or snotty. There’s a thin line between “I do my own stunts” and “Gonna open a can of whoop-ass on you.”

For this post I’m just concentrating on the preppy stuff because – well, it’s my favorite look and I just got back from a week in Cape Cod so I’m totally in the mood for labs, crabs and whales.

For the shabby preppy look my #1 happy place is Jcrew’s Crewcuts. These guys are all about east coast prep. These shirts are so great because they look like you picked them up while summering on “the Vineyard” or in the Hamptons except they’re much cooler and much better quality than the scratchy shrinky dink souvenir shop t-shirts. I think i have just about every one of their t-shirts … love those JCREW sales!!

A very close second for prep is a line of vintage college t-shirts from Tailgate Clothing. Tons of schools like Harvard, NYU, Dartmouth…and even my alma mater Michigan. (that’s the one i bought of course – but can’t find a picture on the Web!)  You can find most of the line at the Tailgate Clothing website (which doesn’t always work so well) or a very cute little online boutique called Food Fight.

So, I ask you….who did I miss?  If you know of another place where I can get cute preppy vintage t-shirts for the boys let me know!

I want my own pacifier! June 6, 2009

 

All hail BELLA TUNNO!

Hey – anyone who can make a paci clip  send shivers down my spine deserves some sort of praise. 

 

Sure, it’s embarrassing to admit that fabrics and ribbons have the power to bring me to my knees but come on…look at these!

 

Not too long ago I finally broke down and bought two of these “Binkers” - a chocolate brown/white striped one for me Sammy and a really girly watermelon polka-dot one to give away as a gift.

 

 

Lucky for you guys, all of my little “nieces” hate pacifiers which means I get to give this adorable pink and green Binker to one of you!

 

The first person to comment below using the words “I promise this ‘binker’ will go to a loving home,” is the lucky winner.

 No strings attached.

Crocodile Creek – making mealtime a happy time May 23, 2009

Mealtime in my house is pretty messy… the food AND the mood.

With two under two, there’s always someone who isn’t getting served as fast as he would like!  

I initially bought these placemats because they were so cute – bright colors, fun cartoony illustrations of animals, trucks and flowers. But when I got them home I realized I’d hit the jackpot. 

Each placemat is actually a tool to help kids learn their numbers, letters, animal noises and even geography.  For example, the map of the USA shows each state with a little picture of what that particular state is known for. Around the edges there are questions for kids to ask like “Where was I born?”, “Where is the desert?” or “Where do my grandparents live?” What a great way to distract interact with your child!

And it works. These days, I get a few breaks in between dodging flying banana slices to ask Jack where mommy and daddy are from. Last night he pointed to the state of Michigan and said “CAH.” (translation = car) GENIUS!

Then he beaned me in the head with his brothers bottle. Nice.

Etsy Love: Homemade Heroes to the Rescue! May 17, 2009

No - these are not my little guys. No pics until the party!

After months of agony, I’ve decided on a theme for Sam’s 1st/Jack’s 2nd birthday party – SUPERHEROES!

I mean, what little kid doesn’t want to don a cape, mask and fight the crime in their backyard?!

First things first…finding the cape. Checked out a few specialty shops online but they were going for $50-$100 a pop! (Are you kidding me?!)

Thank god for ETSY where I found a smorgasbord of superhero stuff at much more reasonable prices!

After some digging, I ordered a cape from Homemade Heroes to test out. I’m so happy I did! 

QUALITY?  Yep
Very well made. The fabric is durable and the emblems are top notch.

GOOD VALUE?  Definitely
Did I mention the capes are only $18 AND they are reversible?? Yep – that means you get 2 capes for a fraction of the price of one on the fancy sites. I chose the Superman/Batman combo but there are loads of other choices on her site, including batgirl for the little supermamas. 

EXTRAS? Yep
Each cape comes with a  black superhero mask for your little guy. I brushed this off as just a fun extra when I bought it but when he put it on I nearly died laughing. It makes the costume.

SERVICE?  Excellent
Quick and courteous

 

P.S. BEFORE YOU GO PLANNING AN INTERVENTION – Yes, I realize their birthdays are in September and its only May. Yes, I realize they won’t remember one second of it. Yes, I realize I’m crazy but I like it.

Etsy love – Sarah & Abraham March 8, 2009

A couple of months ago I stumbled on these 8×10 prints while searching for a baby gift on Etsy. OF COURSE, as is usually the case, instead of buying a gift I ended up buying one for our nursery. (I seriously have a problem)

The good news is the print showed up and it’s perfect. The better news is it was only $18!!!

And little Sarah and Abraham have way more up their sleeves than just prints. In my package, they included this sweet postcard as a thank you. Of course, I ordered a set. Such a sucker!