Sweet Music!

If I do say so myself! Well, it's not often (or easy) to shamefully plug yourself, but, hey, since it's for a good cause....

I started this project as a simple 5 song recording to send to my daughter in Thailand. My husband & I adopted a beautiful baby girl and finally brought her home this past October. So I recorded some songs for my sweet girl to hear Mommy's voice and feel comforted in knowing someone out there was thinking of her and loving her. It ended up inspiring me to do a whole album's worth of music.  

The title track, Butterfly Moon is a song I wrote for her with the help of my incredibly talented friend, George Mesterhazey. George did all the arrangements and played all the music. Bob Kimmel deftly produced it and also played some percussion. The result: a beautiful collection of lullabies and sweet songs for babies and children. You can hear samples on my music blog or see my main web site for info/bio/etc. Half the proceeds of this CD will go to Mercy Centre for slum/street children orphaned and/or living with HIV/AIDS. Help a great cause and lull your little ones to sleep all at the same time! Hey, now that is multi-tasking and shopping at it's best! :-)

The Sweetest Little Prints!

Darling art work for kids bedroom or play room. Stumbled across this fabulous artist on Etsy and her use of color is just beautiful! There are, of course, lots of different color palettes she uses - I had a real tough time choosing - but these were some of my favorites. You can find Edie Pijpers work at www.edieart.etsy.com.

Kate Mack Has It In The Bag

...or should I say, in the POOL? Really, I can't say I have seen a cuter collection of swimwear in ages. All with adorable matching accessories. Her ballerina suit has sold like hotcakes. Get 'em while you can. A few sites have them on sale, but you better hurry cause they won't last long!

Kate Mack Rhumba Rhythm Tunic & Bottoms

Kate Mack Strawberry Fields Bubble Suit. Is that cute or what?

Pink Provence Sun Hat

Pink Provence Swimsuit

The one at the top is called Cherry Picnic and my favorite. Sold at Nordstrom stores but best price I found was at Adorables Children.

Manners Are In The Cards

Stumbled onto this unique store for retro-ish goodies.  A friend put it on her blog after receiving a cool poster as a gift. It's called Blue Ribbon General Store and is chock full of fun and nostalgic gift ideas. One thing that caught my eye in particular were these clever little flash card games for kids.  Fun and respectful = Genius! Why hadn't I thought of that?

Oh, and how about these cute chopsticks for kids? Very fun. Doesn't every girl need a pair?

Fun In The Kitchen

Okay, if I were, say, 5 and I had a dream kitchen THIS is what it would look like. So cute I couldn't resist posting...

Pink Retro Kitchen - Pottery Barn Kids. Cost: Don't ask!

Adorable matching apron - Williams & Sonoma Kids - $18 or $24 if personalized.

Red Retro Kitchen - Pottery Barn Kids. Seriously, you don't want to know the price.

Adorable 1940's style retro aprons for kids & moms. Hand made. Stitchthrutime.com. $43.95

Little Prep Kitchen - Pottery Barn Kids. On sale and reasonable at $109.00

And while your spending up a storm, you could always use a $49 toaster or mixer from Pottery Barn to match with their kitchens. Yea, it's ridiculous, but they ARE hand crafted wooden accessories. Besides, I'm only dreaming. Uh, I mean, for my daughter, of course!

Oilebollen

In a word: FABULOUS! I just love the clothing and unique toys on this site. Amongst my favs are these great products:

Peace Baby Block Set - $28.00

Mini Frong Prewalker Slip-on - $24.95

Fussenegger Circus Nikki Crib (or stroller) blanker - $52.00

Shop www.oilebollen.com

Featured Charities

Well, I admit it. I have been too busy blogging, shopping, working, and just plain living to get around to putting a paypal button up here and figuring out how to do those monthly drawings I promised. I will get to it...eventually! But true to my word, we made donations recently to 3 of the charities listed on the right. Global Orphan Team which is a small, but remarkable charity started and run by 3 adoptive moms. Their mission is to help the poor orphaned children of Guatamala. They go there twice a year, bringing food, clothing, toys, supplies, and much faith.

The second charity we gave to in October is the SET Foundation. It is a wonderful organization that helps children in Thailand get an education. We are adopting a little girl from Thailand so this is a charity near and dear to our hearts. We love the Thai people, and every child should be able to get an education. It cost so little to give them so much. 

Last, but not least is Safe Haven Orphanage, also in Thailand. A wonderful lady named Tassanee opened up her doors and her heart to a few refugee children from Burma. Years later it has become a full fledged orphanage. Although they have only 2 real rooms, they house MANY children. Still, they do the best they can to make sure the children are fed, clothed, and get an education. The children there are not adoptable, being refugees from one country and yet living in another. They exist only on donations and the sheer will and dedication of this wonderful woman and her staff.

So during this time of readying ourselves for the holidays and shopping for the perfect gifts, let's remember those who need a gift the most. I strongly urge you to consider helping those in need this season. Yes, this isn't my typical post on here, but it is my smartest and most fashionable. Didn't you know? The heart is our BEST accessory!

Sustainable Yet "Fun" Kids Furniture

At one of my favorite stores, Beyond The Stork, I happened upon this great furniture line: Funnable. There are a lot of kids tables out there, but this one grabbed my attention for two reasons. One is the great size of it. Much better than a small square table, this one has room for multiple coloring, painting, craft, or Science Fair projects thanks to a little extra length. However the second reason is even cooler. Each piece is handcrafted from rapidly-renewable bamboo and FSC-certified poplar. It has a non toxic milk paint coating and comes in a bunch of nice finishes. Beautiful, well made, and very GREEN. Priced at $999.99, but worth it. A quality piece of furniture, sure to get a lot of use from multiple children. You can purchase Funnables at the Beyond the Stork store in Peddlers Village, Lahaska, PA, or online at www.mommysluxuries.com. They make other furniture and kids pieces, too. So take a look and happy shopping!

The Diaper Review!

After deciding to cloth diaper our baby, I researched for MONTHS to find the perfect diaper. What I found was there are as many different styles and approaches as there are babies! Okay, maybe not THAT many, but there are far more varieties than I ever would have imagined. Of course, you could go with old fashioned prefolds that are the most cost effective. Maybe in another lifetime I will be that practical, but for now...there are just WAY too many adorable alternatives! Take a look..

Green Acre Designs (known as GADS - shown above) are like home made diapers at their very best. Started by a mom of 2, these can either be bought at retail at shops like the ones below or can be custom made by Shannon of GAD herself! You can pick the color, fabric, snap color, and even embroidery of your baby's pocket diaper. Very clever. And word in the mommy's circles is they are the cloth diapering world's best kept secret. As dependable as they are cute with top notch service. Priced around $15.95 each. 

Happy Heiney's Pocket diaper is not only cute, but also award winning. Tested overnight, it is said to "hold" for 12 hours. It also says better for daytime so I think I am curious to test this out for myself. Pocket diapers are great if you have a heavy wetter, you can always double-stuff the pocket at night. The ones shown here are one size fits all. Thanks to the velcro tabs and adjustable snaps, these grow with your child, from 8 lbs all the way up to 35 lbs! $15-$19 each.

Fuzzi Bunz were the first cloth diapers I bought. After reading TONS of reviews, I just kept hearing again and again how great these diapers are. Considered the "workhorse" of cloth diapers, they are as efficient at holding in a blow-out as they are fuzzy (inside) and cute. Even great for overnight, although many moms say an extra hemp insert was the best way to go for bed time. Soft, adorable, dependable. What more could you want from a cloth diaper? $14 to $19 each.

Thirsties AIO's are another one of those diapers I heard so many good things about. I know I loved the bright, bold colors, and adorable look of these right off the bat. (They have pastels, too). Then I read about their signature leg gussets that hold messes in and how efficient they are. Thirsties is a very green company, too. Their policy is to recycle, reduce, and reuse as much as possible. Gotta love that. Around $17 each.

These diapers are said to be, well,  Genius. I don't know firsthand yet, but I do know they are super-cute and silky-soft. The ones shown are the All-In-Ones and look very easy to use. Rated #1 by many a consumer and got an iParenting Media Award, too. Created by a mom, these AIO's are especially great for Dads, babysitters, and day care staff because they are a one-step diaper like a disposable. Can't wait to try the Bum Genius and see what all the fuss is about. Priced around $15-18 per diaper, but many diapers get sold in bundles which offer great savings. Check out the Bum Genius 3-pack for $53.10 at  Cotton Babies.

Jamtots presents the hippest looking, softest, fuzziest, tushies in town. I'm not sure how they will hold up to an overnight, but for day time they are super cute and a must have. Check out the Berry Plush All-In-One Diapers. At $20.85, these sure aren't your cloth diapers of yester-year. This girl surely can't resist buying at least one of these darling little diapies!

Pricing can vary from site to site. Sales, resales, package deals all come in to play so do search around and compare. If you have tried any of these diapers out or found one you like even better, please share! I welcome all comments. Here are a few retail sites for cloth diaper shopping:

www.cottonbabies.com

www.homegrownbabystore.com

www.jilliansdrawers.com

www.motherofeden.com

www.jamtots.com

www.diaperco.com

www.pamperedbuns.com

Keep in mind that while these may seem a bit pricey at first, you will be reusing them over and over and save far more than you would on disposables. You can also use them for multiple children as they will (with proper care) last a good few years. Another interesting fact is these diapers actual have RESELL VALUE. That's right! There are actually sites out there like www.diaperswappers.com where  you can buy and sell new and used diapers. Found them on Ebay, too! Who would have thought it? Just another good reason to keep your baby fashionably dry and rash free while saving the environment. Happy Shopping!

Diva in Pink

I don't know if I love the coat more or the darling little Diva in it with the big Hollywood looking shades. I'm not sure how I would even feel about it exactly if MY little darling became a diva and started prancing around this way. (Knowing me, I'd probably love it). But still, I have to admit both the coat and the look are pretty darn cute. Oh-so-modern princess! Found all the following pink wear on a C-UTE website for clothes called Tutti Bella.  Just gorgeous kids clothing!

Egg & Avocado Trenchcoat - $74.95

Egg & Avocado Sadie Dress - $54.95

Egg & Avocado Jumper - $54.95

Little Ella Fuschia Bianca Dress - $66.95

Think pink for all your little fashion diva's & happy shopping!

Fashion for Good

Take a look at these hot Hollywood-designed tees! So cute and for a great cause. 5% is donated to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength. There are 6 styles, but I like these 3 the best. You can find them all at Shopbop, along with many other great items benefitting the same cause. Fashion that does good. Now that just makes sense.