Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Back to Preschool with Doodledoo Designs




Looking for some adorable back to school wear for your little one? Visit Doodledoo Designs for some fun and functional wear. My 3 year old will start school next week for the first time and everyone will know what he wants to be when he grows up thanks to his "Super Hero in Training" raglan tee. I also love the "Rise and Whine" design, so often the case around here! Doodledoo Designs are printed on high quality tees and come in sizes 3-6 months through 6 years. You'll love their fun designs! Visit today to take advantage of their 10% off sale (no discount code required).

LotusPad Kids Yoga Mats

Monkey see Monkey do! Now your child can learn the art of healthy living and use his/her own yoga mat which is made especially for kids! These mats are very high quality and Lotus Pad is now offering free shipping until Labor Day!! These mats are the perfect size for kids and you can get funky straps for easy carrying. Here are just a few of the wonderful qualities of a Lotuspad Eco Yoga Mat for Kids:

  • Non-toxic – Most kids’ sticky mats are made with PVC, which leaves a heavy mark both on the environment and on our bodies.
  • Safe – The mat provides excellent traction for maximum safety.
  • Supportive – The mat’s structure gives great support because it doesn’t bottom-out on hard studio floors like many mats do.
  • Hygienic – Closed cell construction doesn’t absorb sweat and prevents bacterial and fungal growth.
  • Lightweight – Its size and composition make it easy for even the smallest children to carry with ease.
  • Decomposable – Unlike mats made of PVC, the Lotuspad won’t still be around when your children’s grandchildren go off to college! Over time, the Lotuspad will break down into harmless water and carbon dioxide, but not before providing years of good use.
  • Attractive – Your kids aren’t boring, why should their yoga mat be? Our yoga mats have elegant dual-sided colors and surface patterns.

To get your mat, http://lotuspadyogamats.com/

Happy Panda



Big is beautiful and that is why Happy Panda exists! Happy Panda is the brand for bigger babies! What a great concept – sometimes when you buy baby clothing, they seem so small, so this is great site for our voluptuous babies! The Happy Panda design system will help customers find a better fit when shopping by age and all their products are tag-less for added comfort! Happy Panda has tees for the whole family, even mom and dad!

Visit www.happypandababy.com/

Enter Coupon Code SWM0917 for FREE shipping and gift wrap on orders of $25 or more!!

Mommy Trends


Wear your bump in style with Mommy Trends! These one-size fits all tees are so soft and stretchy and not to mention, very hip. It will be just like wearing your favorite tshirt pre-pregnancy! From barely showing through to the ninth month, you can wear a comfortable, stylish tee. All of the tees are custom made in the USA and are made with 92% cotton and 8% spandex so they will naturally expand with your growing belly!

To get your trendy tees, www.mommytrendsonline.com

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Swanky Summertime Fun: READ!






Well, it's the final countdown. Summer is almost over, depending on your school district, you may have 2 weeks, a few days or maybe, you're already back in school! Regardless, it's still August, which means still Summer. A great way to spend some quality time with your little ones is to spend it together reading. Curl up for bedtime stories, or turn off the TV and pick up a good book. Visit Charlesbridge Publishers for some of the greatest children's titles on the market. They have everything from picture books, to favorite Nursery Rhyme Board books to Art History Books written for children. You can search titles by age range to find the perfect book. Check out their book First Day Jitters. It's a great back to school story and it's currently 25% off!

On a side note, I LOVE to give books at baby showers, Charlesbridge has some FANTASTIC books for moms to be. Take a peek at Global Babies it's a beautiful board book that features amazing photos of babies from around the world. If you know a mommy about to have twins, check out The Baby Shower by Eve Bunting. So Cute!

All books can be purchased directly from Charlesbridge.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Flee Bags

Get your stylish and functional products from Flee Bags for “on the fly’ women! I have the Cool-It Flee which is perfect for a carrying a few cold ones for mom and the kids! You can bring it to the beach, baseball game, or wherever and your stuff will stay cool and protected in this lightweight, durable and water-repellant tote! They also have lots of other oilcloth products including laptop bags, placemats and tablecloths, cosmetic pouches, mini hand bags and more! Flee in style!

To get your flee bag, visit www.FleeBags.com

CharlesBridge Books

Check out Charles Bridge Books for your reading needs! With Back to School just around the corner, it is time to stock up on good reading materials. They also have 25% off “First Day Jitters” to help you prepare you new student for back to school! Tonnes of great quality books for all ages!

Charles Bridge Books also has a K-8 School Division where you will find exceptional school instructional materials for reading, writing, math, science, reading fluency software, and literature collections for all curricular areas.

Visit www.charlesbridge.com

Friday, August 17, 2007

Snobby Babies Gift Baskets

Snobby Babies is THE place to shop for designer inspired clothing and accessories for your baby! I love their products! They also have a new line of chic Gift Baskets! Inside the shower bliss basket is the following:
  • 3 Couture Baby Bibs
  • Wipe N Go (holds wipe case and a few diapers)
  • 2 Custom bottles with covers
  • Flower Hat (great for photos)
  • Burp Cloth
  • Trendy Saying Onesie (specify size below)
  • Pacifier Bling Keepsake

This reusable nursery basket arrives packaged with hand tied ribbon and ready for gift giving.

Visit Snobby Babies

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Look but Please Do Not Touch!


If you have a baby with health issues and are sick of strangers touching him/her while fast asleep in his/her carseat while out and about, you need to get a sign from Healthly Little Ones!

HLO offers professional quality signs (Healthy Little Ones "On The Go!") that politely say "Do Not Touch The Baby". The signs are cute, friendly and simply attach to your baby's infant car seat carrier handle (or stroller, carrier, diaper bag, etc.) with a special Velcro strap. Let the signs do the talking for you and your baby!

They also provide signs for the home that let everyone know hand washing is a MUST before touching the baby so there are no awkward moments when visitors come to see the baby!



Visit www.healthylittleones.com

Little Beanstalks



Dressing your child in stylish clothing can be very costly so Little Beanstalks is the perfect solution! Little Beanstalks specializes in high end brand name gently used and new clothing for kids! Buy brand name products for a fraction of the cost! "Stalk" up for back to school!!

Also, if you have clothing to sell, visit the Stalk X-Change page! They are always looking for clothing to add to their wonderful boutique!

Visit www.LittleBeanStalks.com

Custom Bedding

Brighten your child's room with custom bedding and accessories from Lollipop Kisses! They have several fabulous designs for girls! The boys designs are coming soon and I can't wait to see them! Lollipop Kisses also designs matching accessories such as pillows, throw blankets, lamp shades, wall art and more! Check them out!

Visit www.LollipopKissesOnline.com

Bugaboo Announcements


Announce your baby's birth in style with Bugaboo Announcements! They have lots of hip custom photo designs to choose from and will soon be offering Baptism, Save the Date, and other special occasions. If you are pregnant, you can also pre-order your envelopes so you can address them now before baby is born. What a great idea ~ save some time as once baby arrives you will be extremely busy! Then when baby arrives, you can just order your design and send them out immediately!

Visit www.BugabooAnnouncements.com

Luxurious Playhouses

Gone are the days of playhouses made with a few boards! You can now treat your child to a custom built luxury playhouse that is an exact replica of your own house! PhotoBugBaby Boutique now offers these posh playhouses for your little prince/princess!

You let them know what you'd like and your budget and they will design and build a custom playhouse for you, anywhere in the world! These houses can have hardwood floors, indoor/outdoor lighting, bay windows, kitchens with running water, sunroom, media room, you name it ~ they can design it for you!

Good taste begins early and these houses are top of the line luxury houses in a scaled down version. Absolute luxury for your child! They even make houses for your posh pet!



Visit PhotoBugBaby Boutique for more details

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Swanky Summertime Fun: Be Creative with The Learning Tower



If you've got little ones who love to help out in the kitchen, The Learning Tower by Little Partners is a must have! This great product is much much more than just a "stool." The Learning Tower is made of beautiful natural colored wood, coated with lead free varnish. The height platform is easily adjustable to fit the needs of kids ages 2-6. Its enclosed sides make a safe environment so children can work at the counter sturdy & wobble free. The smooth surface allows for easy cleaning. And after a batch of chocolate chip cookies you will really appreciate that! Summertime is the perfect time for some cooking fun, for great "kid friendly" recipes, visit: cdkitchen. Let your little ones plan a "End of Summer" dinner. They choose the menu items, make a list of what you need, visit the grocery store, and come home for some cooking fun!
With some creativity, The Learning Tower can be just about anything. Check out the Playhouse Accessory Kit. With this great little add on, you can easily turn your Learning Tower into a Puppet Theatre, Lemonade Stand, Drive-Thru, or Doll House.
Order your Learning Tower today, click here to find a store near you!

Stylized Pea

Dress your little rockstar in custom clothing by Stylized Pea! They have the coolest line of tees and onesies that you can customize with your child’s name! I love the “Party Like a Rockstar” raglan with VIP tags! So cool! When they say customized, they mean it, depending on the design, there is customization on the front, sleeves and the wrist area! These bright, hip designs are going to make your child stand out in a crowd!

To stylize your pea, visit www.stylizedpea.com

Friday, August 10, 2007

Tiny Prints: Little Announcements with a Big Smile




Looking for the perfect birth announcement, thank you note, birthday invitation, or all of the above? Visit Tiny Prints for an unbelievable selection of adorable custom printed products. Tiny Prints also offers super cute address labels and gift tag stickers. They have literally hundreds of items to choose from. Everything from traditional announcements to party favors like custom mint tins and even pet birth announcements! My favorite "human" birth announcement is the Big Bro and Little Sis Crib. It's not only adorable, but also hilarious. The tag line is"My sister is here and she's very loud." I LOVE it! If you can't find what you're looking for on the Tiny Prints site, it does not exist. So grab a refreshing beverage and a snack, visit Tiny Prints, and find what you are looking for. It's there, I promise.

Swanky Summertime Fun: Math Marks the Spot




With the first day of school right around the corner, now would be a good time to brush up on those math facts! Check out the Math Marks the Spot game from Learning Resources. This great game keeps kids moving and thinking. Designed for ages 5 and up, players take turns rolling giant foam dice to create basic addition and subtraction problems using the numbers 1-6. The three dice form an equation and if necessary, the children can use the number lines and markers to find the answer on the giant mat. After the equation is solved, colored circles serve as markers to keep track of answers.

This great game has been a super fun summer activity. It can be played either indoors or out and it is perfect for teaching basic math facts. My oldest son is headed for kindergarten in a few weeks, and I know our games of "Math Marks the Spot" have helped him to get a jump start on his math facts. What's hilarious is that whenever I play the game with him, he has know idea his is "learning." However, I KNOW he is learning because he applies the concepts learned in day to day situations.

Visit the Learning Resources site and pick up this award winning game today. Your kids will have a blast playing and their teachers will thank you for getting their math facts"on the spot!"

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Babeebrite

As the mother of a newborn, I find myself stumbling around my apartment at all hours of the night for diaper changes and feedings. The Babeebrite is a tiny clip-on flashlight meant to help parents navigate these nighttime tasks.

The soft LED light turns off automatically after 7 minutes, and is gentle enough not to wake or irritate babies. I found myself using my Babeebrite whenever I wanted to check on my son without startling him.

The Babeebrite clips to your shirt or other surfaces, though the 1” hinge was just a hair too narrow to fit on typical nursery items such as the side of my Pack-n-Play.

It comes in muted shades of pink, blue, green, and white – all of them a lot easier on the eyes than the usual baby pastels.

For more information on the Babeebrite, including stores, visit www.mommybeehappy.com.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

That's My Brat: Frames That Preserve Memories




Want your gift to be the talk of the next baby shower or 1st birthday party? You must check out the voice recording frames from That's My Brat. These high quality wooden frames have voice recorders on them that allow you to record a message to your little loved one. The recorder is on the back of the frame and is easily removable and simple to operate.

If you're pregnant, or know someone who is, the sonogram frame is a great idea. You can take the recorder to the doctor's office and record the baby's heartbeat and them frame the sonogram photo, I wish I would have had the opportunity to do this, what a fantastic keepsake. My suggestion, get them for the grandma's too! This would be a fantastic way to announce your pregnancy to the family.

I love the "My First Word" frames. How special to be able to capture that moment in recording and then display it with a great picture. Also, the "My First Birthday" frame, so cute! I think it would be fun for an older sibling to give this as a gift to a little brother or sister on their first birthday with a special 1st birthday message spoken into the voice recorder.

Visit the That's My Brat site and pick out a few favorites. There are so many frames to choose from and all are adorable. You're sure to find that perfect one! Please direct purchase inquiries to info@thatsmybrat.com

Monday, August 06, 2007

Swanky Summertime Fun: Magnetic Maze!




Looking for a great new activity to keep the kids busy during these last few weeks of summer? Try the Wonder Maze from Museum Tour. This fantastic set consists of 6 "feature" pieces (mazes, wheels, spinners and more!), 6 elbow ramps, 2 tunnels, 6 balls, and one catch box. All pieces are "jumbo" sized, perfect for ages 3 and up. The backs of the pieces are magnetic and the possibilities are endless. My boys love to work together to arrange and rearrange the pieces in all sorts of ways. Anyone that comes over (both children and adults) gravitates toward the set to create a new design. The Wonder Maze is perfect for some refrigerator fun, but I say make it big!

There are lots of fun things you can do to create a fun magnetic play area. My husband built one for my son's room with supplies from Home Depot. A large sheet of metal and some wood trim to frame it out. We painted the trim to match his room and it makes a great play place. Don't feel like waiting for your hubby to build something? Visit your local auto parts store and purchase their largest oil pan. Oil pans can be easily screwed into a wall. When I was teaching full time, I had one in my classroom and it worked great. Another option, a magnetic "white board" from your local office supply store. You can use it for magnetic fun as well as drawing with dry erase markers. If you don't want the "magnetic wall" in your home, a safe place in the garage works well, or find a nice spot in the backyard. Another fun option is magnetic paint. A friend of mine coated her son's sliding closet doors with it and it is a GREAT play surface. Along with the Wonder Maze, there are lots of fun "magnetic" sets on the market. Everything from the classic ABC's to dress up dolls, and more, your new magnetic play area will keep the kids busy and having fun.

Visit the Museum Tour site today and pick up a Wonder Maze set, actually, you may want to pick up a few! While you're there, check out all of their fantastic educational toys. Santa should definitely shop here.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Swanky Summertime Fun: The Perfect Travel Tee





Honestly, you would have thought my boys were celebs last week waiting for our plane at LAX. From the moment we walked in the door, we had people stopping us asking about their "hilarious" shirts. I even had one woman stop me to tell me she just "texted" a friend to tell her about this great shirt some cute little boys were wearing at the airport. What kind of tee could possibly turn so many heads and evoke so many smiles? Why one from Milk Bomb of course! We recently received their "Congratulations, you get to sit near me" airplane tees for our summer vacation and I'm telling you, they are fantastic! My boys wore the tees both to and from our trip and the whole time we had people commenting. We heard everything from, "Great Shirt" to "That's the most hilarious shirt I've ever seen." I also saw lots of smirks and I know what they were thinking, "I hope they're not sitting next to me!" When I first got the shirts in the mail I thought, hey, I want one too... Well, guess what? I'm not the only one! In fact, super swanky dad and creator of Milk Bomb tees, Steve O'Neil, got so many requests that he will soon be offering this design for grown ups too. I will definitely be wearing one on my next flight.

If your family has air travel planned in the near future, this tee is a must have. Sizes range from 3 months to age 6 with grown up sizes on the way. Visit the Milk Bomb site today and check out all of their clever designs. There are six styles of onesies and tees to choose from, so it's easy to find the perfect piece for your little aviator!
Use the code "swanky" for 15% off your order!

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Fibre One Raisin Bran Clusters

I received a box of this cereal and LOVED it! Not only is it very good for you and contains 40% of the daily value of fibre, it is so maple-y and has wonderful clusters of flavour! Truly refreshing and tasty! Fibre One Raisin Bran Clusters are available in your grocery shelf at a sore near you!

For more information, please visit General Mills