"Wipe Sunscreen"

My kids adore the Baby Silk Babysafe Sunscreen Towelettes with SPF 30+ protection by MD Moms; they always ask for this "wipe sunscreen." We've been using them for several summers now, though only at times when the sun is not as strong (early evening, for example), since my kids are very fair and usually require a higher level of SPF protection. Unlike many gloppy sunscreens with strong smells, these little towelettes are completely non-greasy and sweat-proof, and barely have a scent. Of course, they are phthalate-free (I recommend that you read the Environmental Working Group's 2010 Safe Sunscreen Guide, if you haven't already). The downsides? First, that they are only SPF 30+ (my son, especially, burns easily and SPF 30+ does not protect him well enough at mid-day). Second, the price...a whopping $26 for a 15-towelette pack. Save these for special occasions. I still recommend them, though. Check them out at MD Moms.

Enter code "SUMMER" for free shipping and handling on all orders at MD Moms, now through 9/5/10.

Look What I Made!

I've added some new July 4th and summer-themed photo cards to Brown Eye Blue, my Etsy shop. Several blog readers have already purchased some- thank you! Each one is signed by me and arrives individually wrapped in a cello sleeve; if you buy more than one they are also tied together with a pretty ribbon, ready for gift-giving. Click on each of the image below to view individual cards.

All of these cards feature photographs I've taken myself; they are some of my favorite summer landscape photos plus some fun shots thrown in for good measure (I took the candy photographs at Dylan's Candy Bar). Hope you like them! Visit Brown Eye Blue to see them all.

I'm offering a special for my blog readers- if you buy any 2 cards, I will give you a 3rd card (your choice) for free. Just write "MyMomShops" in the "notes to seller" section and tell me which 3rd card you'd like. Valid through July 15th, 2010. Oh, and shipping is always free, too!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade BrownEyeBlue.etsy.com

Wordless Wednesday: Solstice

1st Ave. and 14th St., 8pm, plenty light.

10% off at My Bambino

I wanted to pass along a coupon code for our affiliate MyBambino.com, where I bought both of my kids' photo growth charts ($29.99). I wanted sturdy wooden charts that also had room for personalization and photos, and these have worked out perfectly. The price- even before the 10% discount- is quite reasonable, so this also makes a great baby gift. While you're at My Bambino, check out their selection of other personalized gifts, including rocking chairs, stepstools, piggy banks, beach buckets, and party favors.

Enjoy 10% off all orders (no minimum) at MyBambino.com with code "July4" now through July 4th, 2010.

Before There Were I-pods

On Ebay I stumbled onto some vintage toy finds from my childhood (I was born in 1972, so that gives you some idea how old this stuff is). There are a whole bunch I want to show you, but I'll start off with this Fisher Price Music Box Record Player + 6 Records, a toy which hit shelves in 1971. I can still picture the wobbly strains of "Au Clair De La Lune" emanating from this record player which my sister and I kept atop a dresser in our tiny bedroom. 35 years later, I'm not sure my kids even know what a "record" is...I think they'd definitely be intrigued by this relic!

Guess what? Fisher Price is re-releasing the "Basic Fun Fisher Price Record Player" in July! Pre-order it for $29.95 at Amazon.com. It actually looks just like the original.

Fall 2010 Preview: Tea Collection

A little detective work helped me uncover that Tea Collection's Fall 2010 destination/inspiration is "Old World Hungary". Not the first place I would've thought of, but I'm sure they will serve it up beautifully. Keep an eye out on their Facebook page and Tea Collection for more preview photos.

P.S. Some of the fall collection is already available for sale at Pacifier- check it out.

Save the Whales

Remember our giveaway from Children Inspire Design? This globally-themed children's design shop has just released a new piece of artwork (shown at left) to help raise funds for the victims of the Gulf oil spill. Plus, in a very sweet and gentle way (no photos of oil-covered birds here) it educates and inspires children to protect the environment. The signed, limited edition prints can be purchased at Children Inspire Design starting today ($30 for an 8 x 10 print; $35 for an 11 x 14 print). There are only 50 of each size available. An impressive 50% of the profits will be donated to the National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund. Each Friday, Children Inspire Design will post how much money they have raised so far. And, everyone who purchases the print will also receive a $10 gift certificate for a future purchase at Children Inspire Design.

Do your part for Gulf Relief efforts, and score your kid an awesome limited edition print at the same time. Visit Children Inspire Design.

Ask MyMomShops: Birthday Shirts

Dear MyMomShops,

It's almost that time of year again when our kids will be having another birthday. Where does the time go???? Can you recommend a few sites for birthday shirts? I looked at Chasing Fireflies, but they are kind of expensive.

Jennifer (mom of Charlie and Aaron)


Dear Jennifer,

Oh, you know this is one of my favorite items to "research"! I've posted lots of birthday tee ideas before (keep scrolling down after you click that link) which are worth checking out because some are still available. But I want to show you some newer designs that I've bookmarked, too. Tell me which ones you like.

Happy Birthdays to your little ones!

Best,
MyMomShops

1 2 3 4 5 tees ($21 at Babesta)


Numbers' Tee ($24.99 at CWD Kids)

Birthday Raglan Shirts ($16) by Happy Family

Custom Birthday Tee ($24 at Psycho Baby).


"Kapow" Birthday Tees ($25 at Paper Lili)


Personalized Name and Birthday Number T-shirt ($18 at Etsy)


How Old Am I? tees ($29.95 at Fliggity)


Boys' Birthday Tee ($30 at Company Kids)


Highway Number Birthday Tee ($39.95 at Liliputians)

25% off at Chase's Treasures

Our sponsor Chase's Treasures provided gift certificates to the celeb attendees of yesterday's Daytime Emmy Awards. And we're passing the same coupon code along to you- enter "Emmy2010" at checkout and you'll receive 25% off your order of $30 or more. This is a good opportunity to save big on baby gifts, personalized gifts, or nursery decor, including Chase's Treasures top seller these days- toddler-sized plush animal chairs. By the way, these make a "wow" 1st birthday gift at a very reasonable price. Choose from ladybug, bear, tiger or horse; each chair costs $35 before the discount; $26.25 afterwards. Enjoy!

Fall 2010 Preview: Gymboree

Gymboree recently posted previews of its fall transitional line on its Facebook page. Most of these items will be available in-stores this week. What do you think of these? I like the boys' outfit (it is nice to finally be rid of skulls and crossbones) but the girls, eh, I'm not crazy about, except for the plain red cardigan on its own. You'll spot more of the fall transition clothing online this week at Gymboree.com.

Patriotic Plates

I've always liked Pottery Barn Kids melamine plates, which are now made of eco-friendly bamboo (they're also BPA and phthalate-free). We have a Halloween set (which my kids like to use all year) but I'd love to add these retro-style, soda pop-inspired Americana Plates to our collection, too. They're on sale for $16 (regularly $20) for a set of 4, and I think they work just as well for grown-ups as for toddlers. Take a look at all of Pottery Barn Kids' tableware here.

Bargain Alert: 50 FREE Mommy Cards at Kodak Gallery

Many thanks to Moms Who Save for posting this fantastic freebie on Twitter. I just took advantage of it myself. Kodak Gallery is offering sets of 50 full-color "Mommy Cards" for absolutely FREE (just $3.99 shipping). They normally cost $20, so you will pay just $3.99 rather than $23.99 for a set of 50. No catch. Create a calling card for your kids, or for yourself. You'll need them this summer for new camp friends & playdates. Also, if you're expecting a new arrival, check out another Kodak Gallery offer for 20 free birth announcements. These are great deals and I don't know how long they will last, so hurry over.

Spaghetti and Hamburger Cupcakes

I visited Chelsea Market, a renowned food concourse here in NYC, yesterday and saw these double-take spaghetti-and-meatball cupcakes (yes, you read correctly) and hamburger cupcakes at Ruthy's Bakery. The store has some better pictures (mine are from my phone) here. Uh oh, they have Yo Gabba Gabba cupcakes, too. Should I get those for S's 4th birthday party?

Red, White and Blue Sibs

My kids seem to enjoy wearing brother/sister outfits, particularly for holidays or special occasions, but they can get expensive. I was glad I got to scoop up some 4th of July outfits recently at The Children's Place for next to nothing. I got R. this Americana Woven Dress (reduced to $14.75 from $29.50) and S. the coordinating USA Baseball Tee ($8.50) and Americana Bermuda shorts (reduced to $9.75 from $19.50) also shown above. I think the unisex patriot slip-on sneakers (reduced to 9.90 from 16.50 ) are pretty cute too. Visit The Children's Place Americana Collection to see what sizes are left (act fast!); many items are up to 50% off.

P.S. Remember to also check Coupon Chief and Retail Me Not before making a purchase from The Children's Place; both sites frequently post coupons for the store.

Personalized World Cup Tees

I love this idea. Psycho Baby is selling Custom World Cup Tees in sizes 6 mos through 6/8 years. Choose from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, or the U.S. (of course, some of these are irrelevant now- I'm looking at you, France). Add your junior soccer star's name on front (and optional number on back) and let the compliments fly in. Best of all? It only costs $18. Check them out at Psycho Baby.

Mabel's Labels...And Free Coupons Coming Soon

If you're about to send a kid to summer camp, I don't have to tell you that labelling the belongings can turn into a massive chore. At S's camp, every article of clothing needs to be labelled, right down to socks and underwear. Not to mention towels, lunch bags, water shoes, etc. Last summer, I had ordered a classic camp pack ($34.50) from label-maker extraordinaire Mabel's Labels, which included 15 Sticky Labels, 8 Shoe Labels, 2 Bag Tags, and 50 Tag Mates™ labels . And this summer, I am grateful to Mabels' Labels for giving me the chance to try out their brand-new Label Out Loud (LOL) camp packs, which include those same items, but in brighter new color combinations and with your choice of 20 fun design motifs (S. picked trains, R. picked butterflies). I happen to like these more colorful labels better (plus I like their new packaging and the company's spiffy re-designed website. My all-time favorite item? The Tag Mates™ (tiny peel and stick labels) which I affix to the inside of the kids' clothing. They never fade or fall off in the wash, and my kids (who sometimes dislike tags) don't even notice they're there. And for me, they make labelling a camp wardrobe a real snap (how my mom sewed all those name labels for years and years, I'll never know).

Need some labels in a jiffy for camp? Visit Mabel's Labels.

Psst! I've got 12 separate Mabel's Labels coupons to give away. I'll be sending an e-mail tomorrow to our newsletter subscribers ONLY to offer them to the first 12 readers to reply. Not a subscriber yet? E-mail me so you can be included in this and other special offers!


A product sample was provided for this review. All views expressed here are exclusively those of MyMomShops.

Fancy Photo Puzle

Keep this Wooden Photo Jigsaw Puzzle in mind for a grandparent gift for a holiday gift. No ordinary photo puzzle, it's a beautifully hand-crafted 5 x 7" thick wooden puzzle with about 35 pieces, made from your print or digital photo. It even includes a few "whimsy" shaped pieces which could be a short word or name like "Mom" or "Dad". Check out all of the custom wooden jigsaw puzzles at Bella Puzzles.

Ask MyMomShops: Boys' Overnight Bags

Dear MyMomShops,

Could you recommend some choices of a small weekend/overnight bag for a boy who is 6 years old (a duffel that could fit 1-3 nights of travel). Looking for something that is not LL Bean or Pottery Barn, but not super expensive either. I've looked and only found juvenile bags with dinosaurs, trucks, cars....more of a toddler bag instead of a big boy bag.

Thanks so much.

Elise

Elise- here are some options that fit the bill. It definitely can be tricky finding something appropriate for a boy of this age. I hope these help. Let us know what you decide. Love, MyMomShops


Kids' Duffels (about $20-$30 depending on size) by Lillian Vernon. I've ordered kids' luggage before from Lillian Vernon and have been satisfied. Several solid colors available, and personalization is always included.


Wildkin duffel bags are popular with the school-age crowd; try the Soccer Print duffel bag ($29.50). There are several other patterns that are not too babyish, too.


Rolling Duffel Bag ($34.99) from Kids' Travel Zone. This one has wheels, too, so even if it's packed heavy it's easy to transport.

Monsterette at Zulily

I was very excited to see that one of my favorite new girls' clothing designers- Monsterette- has a big sale this week at Zulily. You might remember I posted this Hula Hoop Drop Waist Dress back in April. It's on sale now at Zulily for $29.99 (originally $52) in sizes 2T-10. I showed it to R., thinking she would love it, but she waved it off, saying "Too much going on." Apparently she has her own sense of style now. Which does not always mesh with mine. Oh well. I love all of the "pink-meets-punk" Monsterette tees, tanks, skirts, shorts, and dresses in this sale. Snatch them up at Zulily.

Wordless Wednesday: Race Girls

The just-closed ESPN zone in Times Square.

Off To Camp She Goes

S. has started camp already, but R.'s first day is not till next Tuesday. It's a sports camp, so she needs some practical clothing and gear, but still wants everything "girly" (quite a change from 2 summers ago when she eschewed princesses for knights...). Here are some new purchases:

Geox Kids Mimosa Sneaker (on sale for $49.50 at Zappos.com, reduced from $55). Geox really should pay R. for her brand loyalty. She won't look at any others.


New York Mets Pink Tie-Dye Cap ($14.99 at Dunham's Sports). Her little bro has a coordinating one in solid blue.


Flower Tunic & Capri Set by Flapdoodles. On sale for $26.99 (regularly $34.00) at CWD Kids. No dresses allowed at sports camp- she agreed to settle for this.

Disney Princess Large Backpack ($24.50 at Amazon.com). Her 1st grade backpack- which is nearly identical- is quite banged up. This one will take her through the summer and hopefully into 2nd grade, too.


And....I must write a separate post about Mabel's Labels, which has saved me hours of time of camp preparation for both kids. More on them later this week.

Lands End Summer Sale

Lands End has big discounts on their remaining summer inventory right now. Their popular girls' short sleeve jersey dress (a staple of my daughter's summer wardrobe from ages 2 to 5), for example, is now reduced from $19.50 to just $11.50; various sizes and patterns still available in size 2T-16. Visit Lands End for more summer deals; if you subscribe to their catalog you will get frequent free shipping coupons (no minimum orders), too.

Sweet Sunsuit

Don't you love the retro feel of this little unisex gingham sunsuit from Etsy? Baby can wear it alone on a hot day, or layered over a shirt or onesie. It's available in sizes 0-3mos through 2T; you choose the color (blue, red, pink, yellow, or black) and coordinating trim. $28 at the Etsy storefront of Rae Gun.

Calling All Maddicts

Be still my beating heart...Don Draper returns next month in Season 4 of Mad Men. I can't wait. I wonder what is going to happen. Will Betty go ahead and marry Henry Francis? Will Don's new agency survive? Will Sal the art director return? Will little Sally go crazy? If you don't know what I'm talking about- or have been living under a rock- you can catch up with last season on DVD.

Swing Tee

Winter Water Factory, a Brooklyn-based designer I first met at the Bubble show in 2007, makes very cool eco-friendly hand-printed tees for kids. I noticed that Chasing Fireflies has picked up some of their designs including this super-for-summer swing tee ($38, sizes 2T through 10 available at Chasing Fireflies). You can also buy it directly from Winter Water Factory for 2 dollars less, but there's only a size 2 T left.

A Gorgeous Gift, No Doubt

Even though my children have long passed the baby blanket stage, I still find myself admiring items like this super-luxe, taggie-trimmed Personalized Ultimate Puppy Blanket. Not just because a celeb mom like Gwen Stefani has been snapped using one, but also because I love any soft, plush, too-expensive-to-buy-for-yourself baby gift. Particularly one that's personalized. But I recently got a coupon code from our affiliate GoToBaby.com- which sells this and other baby blankets, so I thought I'd pass it on to you. Enter code "BABY10" now through July 1, 2010 to receive 10% off your entire purchase at GoToBaby.com. And check out the pink girls' version of the blanket, too.

Martha and Macy's

I love when top designers create lower-priced lines for department stores, and the Martha Stewart Collection for Macy's is no exception. I've been admiring its photographs in the Sunday newspaper inserts, so I checked them out online. If you're attending June weddings, there's a good chance you have come across some of these items on couples' registries:

Summer Meadow Luxury Bedding Collection (on sale for $44.97-$119.97)


Ribbon Matte Frame Collection (on sale for $16.99-$24.99)


Wedgwood Flourish China Collection (5 piece place setting on sale for $99.99)


Martha Stewart Picnic Basket (on sale for $49.99)

These all make beautiful wedding gifts, or a little treat for your own home; see the entire collection here.

p.s. For those of you shopping for wedding gifts, I've added a "wedding gifts" label to give you some of my favorite ideas.

Soccer Dads

TheAdidas Jabulani Ball, made especially for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, has come under fire for possible design flaws (is that why it slipped through Robert Green's hands?). Regardless, it's still a hot collector's item. If you want to buy it, go to Amazon.com where I found the best price so far- $114.99 (compared to $150 elsewhere). If you know a soccer-crazed dad, this makes a fantastic (belated) Father's Day gift- he's probably so distracted with the matches that he won't notice it arrives a few days late.

Image courtesy of Rediff Sports.

p.s. Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there...especially my own!

Bargain Alert: Melissa & Doug Sticker Collections

I always go to Amazon.com to buy Melissa & Doug gifts at good prices. And these boy/girl sticker collections are outright bargains. The Pink Sticker Collection is reduced to $5.31 from $17.19 and includes 800 stickers of princesses, pets, and parties. The Blue Sticker Colllection ($5.54 reduced from $17.19) has 500 stickers ranging from pirates to robots to trucks. There are dozens of uses for these- from arts & crafts projects to card-making to gift-wrapping. Stock up on a few as bargain-priced birthday gifts, too (shhh...we won't tell).