Holiday Sponsor: Quote the Walls

If one of your New Year's resolutions is to spiff up your home a bit (within a budget), check out our latest holiday sponsor, Quote the Walls. It's a one-stop shop for semi-permanent vinyl wall letters, monograms, sayings, and quotes. There are suggestions for just about every room in the house from the baby's room to the laundry room. Check out the customer photo gallery to get your creative juices going. Quote the Walls does custom orders on a regular basis, so if have a particular quote in mind or want something in a different size, color, or font, just ask- most likely, they will be able to create it for you. The finished product is super easy to apply to the walls and looks like it was hand-painted by a professional- I can say this with certainty because I have a Quote the Walls quote in my own son's room (see the photo above showing it above his crib- now replaced by a bed- but the quote remains). Many people think I must've paid an artist to do it, but in reality it was much cheaper (about $30) and I did it myself. The toughest part will be deciding what exactly to order! Visit Quote the Walls.

Please note: holiday sponsors pay a small fee for their products to be reviewed. We only accept sponsors whose products we would recommend to our readers.

If Lloyd Dobler Had Kids Today

Speaking of the anniversary of Lloyd Dobler and his musical tribute in Say Anything, check out this updated-for-today's kids LEGO Brick Boombox with CD Player. It's 10 times the size of an original LEGO brick and has knobs that work for volume and control tuners. A great gift for elementary-age kids, it costs $34.99 at Toys R Us.

We Love Lloyd

Get ready to feel old(er). This year marks the 20th anniversary of the movie Say Anything (cue "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel) starring John Cusack and Ione Sky. Oh, how I loved that movie. They don't make guys like Lloyd Dobler anymore, do they? Relive all the sweet moments ("I gave her my heart, she gives me a pen") with Say Anything on Blu-ray (on sale for $17.49, reduced from $34.99) at our affiliate Amazon.com.

Hanukkah Greetings- Hurry!

We're fully into holiday card season now, and if you celebrate Hanukkah like I do, perhaps you are even more in a rush to find cards that you love (Hanukkah starts this year on Friday night, December 11th). My favorite Hanukkah photo card this year (I'm biased- I ordered some for myself) are these Very Happy Hanukkah photo cards from Paperspring, a new affiliate to this site. I love that these cards let you incorporate three different photos, and that it has a Hanukkah vibe from the color (and obviousy the text) but doesn't go overboard with dreidels and menorahs like some other Hanukkah cards do. You can order the cards on 100% recycled cardstock or Paperspring's special "Stickystock" which allows you to affix your card anywhere like a post-it. Prices start at $1.69 per card for 25 cards, and shipping is always free. Turnaround time is very quick, too...I received my order in just a few days. And, Hanukkah cards are just one type of item that Paperspring offers- you can also buy Christmas cards, baby announcements, invitations, and personalized stationery. So take some time browsing at Paperspring.

Now through November 22nd, enjoy an exclusive 20% discount on any order at Paperspring with code "MMSHOPS20".

Bargain Alert: Baby Car Sweater

I have posted so much little boys' clothing from The Children's Place recently that you'd think they were paying me to write this stuff. They aren't (inside blogger joke). But I absolutely love this newborn boys' car sweater that I spotted in-store. It has really nice details like sueded elbow patches, a tipped color, and even graphics on the back, too (click on the images at the site for a complete view). And it's on sale for just $7.69 now (originally $16.50) in all newborn sizes- 0-3mos, 3-6mos, 6-9mos, and 12mos. If my boy were still a baby, I'd snatch this sweater for sure. Check it out at The Children's Place.

Bargain Alert: Blueberry Babies Warehouse Sale

Upscale baby boutique Blueberry Babies is having a warehouse sale where you can score deals up to 80% off on items by 3 Marthas, Egg Baby, Lucy & Michael and more. There's baby clothes, accessories, and nursery decor, including this funky Matthew Catch All Toy Bag (on sale for $21, reduced from $60), a great collapsible bag for toting toys room to room, or even to Grandma's house. It measures 18 x 15 x 17 and is designed by well-known play tent designer Lucy and Michael. Browse all the sale items at Blueberry Babies.

Holiday Sponsor: Kobold Toys

I'm getting tons of holiday toy catalogs in the mail, many of which just rehash the same loud flashing toys. Luckily, there are several sites I can rely on for quieter, higher-quality, even educational (shhhh) toys for my kids. One of these sites is Kobold Toys, which I have mentioned to you before. Originally a bricks-and-mortar store located in Panama, Kobold Toys is now a top online venue for specialty toys from all over the world, including Belgium, Italy, Sweden, France, and Germany (and some of the "better" American brands, too).

A few things to note about Kobold Toys:

1) Do you love gorgeous gift wrap? Kobold Toys imports its beautiful children's gift wrap from Germany. I have some which I have used (and re-used) multiple times.
2) Stumped for a gift? They have a gift advisory service, so if have no idea what to get for a particular child on your list, they're happy to help.
3) I'm often deterred by high shipping costs, so I appreciate that Kobold Toys has free shipping on orders of just $40 or more, and orders below that ship for a very low flat fee of $3.99 within the U.S.

Here are some of my top holiday gift picks from Kobold Toys:

We are big fans of Barefoot Books in our house (they are created by writers, artists, storytellers and musicians, and have captivating illustrations). Any of Kobold Toy's Barefoot Books "bags of books" gift sets are sure to be hits; I like this ABC's and 1,2,3's Bag of Books Gift Set ($28) best for the 4-and-under crowd, packed in an eco-friendly tote with personalized gift tag.


Another item on my own wish-list for my 3-year-old and 6-year-old are the international building block sets by Archiquest. The one shown here is Medieval Europe ($99). The heirloom quality blocks arrive with a 46-page hardbound educational book that includes timelines and building ideas.


Finally, since I have a fondness for retro TV holiday specials, I must mention Kobold Toys's Rudolph/Joy Love 2-in-1 Puzzle ($13.99). One side features Rudolph and Santa, the other side shows Rudolph's mom. A sweet gift or stocking stuffer.


Start your holiday shopping at Kobold Toys.

Please note: holiday sponsors pay a small fee for their products to be reviewed. We only accept sponsors whose products we would recommend to our readers.

40 Years and Counting

Before the first episode of Sesame Street aired 40 years ago today, the top video was the "bumper" (the footage before the actual show). Seeing the "in color" part gives me goosebumps because I remember it so well (though, being born in 1972, I saw the first season in repeats only...). The 2nd video is the classic opening theme music from that first episode.

Want to see more? Buy Sesame Street Old School and see the original episodes in their entirety on DVD.

MyMomShops Giveaway: Baby Star Diaper Bag

If you're a new mom, I think you will love today's giveaway. Baby Star is a company that I first learned about when I spotted their baby blankets a few years ago. Baby Star has exclusive patterns that are sort of jazzed-up versions of baby pastels- there are stars, diamonds, stripes, and bubbles accented with mod colors like brown and orange. Since Baby Star came on the scene, they have expanded their offerings to include baby shoes, organic baby clothes (check out the awesome organic baby jeans), and the new organic diaper bag that we are giving away today.

Baby Star's new Rock The Tote diaper bag has a classic design but with a modern vibe. The convenient tote style with generous size (18" wide x 15" tall) accommodates all you need when you're on the run with baby There's a wide zippered pocket on one side, and two open pockets on the other for quick access to cell phone or bottle. A matching changing pad is included along with a BPA-free wipe case. And the colors and patterns are really outstanding (I'd personally have a tough time choosing), including Baby Star's popular "Daisy Chain", "Four Square Blue", "Kaleidoscope", "Tag", "Flutter", or shimmering metallic solids. The bag retails for $88.

Enjoy a 30% discount on all items at Baby Star with code "20twinkle09", now through 12/31/09. Also check for their weekly specials.

Win it! One reader will win a Rock the Tote diaper bag (design of choice), retail value $88, from Baby Star. Here are the contest rules:

1) To enter, please comment on THIS post (click on "comments" below), indicating what your favorite item from Baby Star is. It does not have to be the same item as the prize.
2) Post your comment by 11:59pm EST, Thursday, November 12th. One entry per person, please. US addresses only.
3) One winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday morning, November 13th.
4) NOTE: If you wish to be contacted by e-mail if you win, please include your e-mail address in your comment. Otherwise you must check back on Friday to see if you won. Unclaimed prizes are forfeited after 72 hours.

Good luck!

Chasing Fireflies Does Good

I have given the catalog Chasing Fireflies some flack on this blog for their exorbitant prices on children's clothing that you can find elsewhere for less, but I have to give them props for something else now. When I was on their site, I saw that they had a far more impressive selection of Hanukkah gifts that just about any other high-caliber kids' clothing or toy site I've seen recently. Check out the Hebrew alphabet blocks, personalized dreidl tee, and Hanukkah train menorah, just for starters. But above all, I really love the small Wooden Tzedakah Box shown above. For my non-Jewish readers, "tzedakah" means charity (which can include giving money to the poor, but also includes doing any good deed to help others less fortunate). My children learned about "tzedakah" early on and know that every holiday season, we take a portion of our "tzedakah" money and either donate it to a children's charity or use it to buy a Christmas or Hanukkah gift for a less fortunate child. And, the box itself costs just $10. This is definitely on my "to buy" list for both R. and S. this year. Way to go, Chasing Fireflies. You are back in my good graces.

p.s. Here is a heartwarming story from yesterday's New York Times about one of its Neediest Fund cases- it is a good story to share with age-appropriate children. R. and I read it together.

Halloween Re-cap

Eh, so it's only a week late, but here are some photographs of our Halloween/birthday (and pre-Halloween) activities and celebrations. Enjoy!

Earlier in October, we went pumpkin picking on a rainy weekend. Fortunately there were pumpkins to "pick" at an indoor nursery. Here are Grandpa and the kids carting our pumpkins away. I love this photo.


When the weather cleared we went to another small pumpkin patch in New Jersey (hold the New Jersey jokes...this is quite pretty!). Some of my other photos were published here.


This was one of our favorite pumpkins that we picked- we named him "Bumpy" and I even made a card out of him (you can see/buy my other photo cards here).


I was impressed this year with my 6-year-old's ability to decorate a pumpkin (much better than me):


Every year we trick-or-treat on scenic East 78th Street, where the townhouses and brownstones are decorated beautifully for the holiday, and the kids get the "suburban" feel of going door-to-door for candy.


My three-year-old S. (aka "Thomas") reaches for some treats on East 78th St. Unidentified princess at left.


At home we had a Halloween/birthday party which included this Food Emporium cake which R. had picked out for me. She has good taste:


One of my favorite birthday gifts: two dozen orange balloons from a special friend. What can I say, I am a simple girl with simple tastes...


A last look at "Jack" lit up before he got too moldy:


The next morning was the New York City marathon. Our apartment faces First Avenue which is a prime viewing spot along the route. We saw the women frontrunners speed by. Amazing!


Later on, this was the view from our balcony:


There is nothing like watching world class runners speed by your home when you are recovering from Halloween candy stupor, right?

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Tutu Cute

I have several friends who have welcome new baby girls recently (the latest is my friend B. who welcomed baby Gabriella one week ago- congratulations!). So when I'm shopping I always keep my eye out for cute newborn clothes. While online at Gymboree.com I spotted this Tutu Bodysuit on sale for just $9.99 (was originally $24.75). It's left in size 0-3 months only, so scoop it up if you know a new baby girl who resides in a warm clime! Her parents will love the photo ops. Buy it at Gymboree.

By the way, if you're shopping today (Sunday, November 8th), you can get 30% off your Gymboree purchase through midnight with code "REWARDSCOF". Enjoy!

P.S. Moms of boys, I haven't forgotten you. Boys' clothing to be posted this week, I promise.

Swatch: The Next Generation

My dad recently returned from a trip to Switzerland, and in addition to bringing some small toys and a bag of Lindt chocolate that R. polished off easily, he brought me my 3rd Swatch ever as a birthday gift. I got my first two Swatches in junior high school (back in the days of Wham!)- a red and black one, and then one of the super-cool "smelly swatches"- mine was a translucent yellow and scented like lemon. I wore it every day next to my black rubber "Madonna bracelets." I lost it somewhere around 1987 and still miss it. But now I have this brand-new, 2009 "Gummelis" Swatch that makes me look like a hip, young Euro mom. There are two cartoon-y figures in light blue and light pink (appropriate for a mom of 1 girl and 1 boy) on the face and dangling from the snap. It kind of has a retro-meets-techno, Pac-Man meets Twitter vibe to it. You can buy it for approximately $54 (depending on the Euro exchange rate) at Squiggly.com. Thanks, Dad!

Etsy Party Invitations

A few months ago I bookmarked a couple of birthday party invitations that caught my eye at Etsy:

Our Little Girl Turns One Party Invitation ($18 for a set of 10) by Chick Print. I love retro invites like this. Check out the whole Chick Print store- there's good stuff there.
How Many Seconds Old? Party Invitation ($16 for design, you can print yourself or pay extra fee for printing) by Less Ordinary Designs. I can't get that some from Rent out of my head now, but I think this is such a fun design (Less Ordinary Designs made my holiday cards last year, by the way).

Bargain Alert: Girls' Knit Hat Set

I just bought R. this new SONOMA life + style 3-piece striped knit hat set from Kohls and she looooves it. The hearts and stripes and pom-poms win points with her; I like that the heavy knit is warm and also machine washable. And the price is amazing- it's on sale for just $11.70 for the set (hat, gloves, and scarf), reduced from $25 at Kohls. It's available in purple, too.

Jason Lindberg Kids Photography

It's not too late to book holiday portrait sessions here in NYC. I've already recommended Jelly Bean Pictures, and now I have one more recommendation for you- Jason Lindberg Photography. Jason is a NYC-based photographer and has just launched his own kids' portraiture site. Personally, Jason is inspired by photographing his own two-and-a-half-year-old nephew (we loves uncles, right?) Professionally, he has studied photography at Parsons and film at The New School, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, and Time Out. When photographing children, his approach is to give kids freedom and let them create their own spontaneous moments. His standard holiday portrait session costs about $575 (a price that will not surprise New York City moms). What you're paying for is up to 3 hours of photography, an online gallery of at least 60 images, and contact sheets, plus a $100 credit for print purchases and a disk containing e-mail ready images. So if it's in your budget, you'll get a lot of bang for the buck, and some pretty great photos. Visit Jason Lindberg Kids Photography to view more of his work and to book a holiday session.

Dwell Studio Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the Dwell Studio giveaway winners:

Toddler bathrobe winner: Gaelle, who wrote, "I would love to enter both giveaways. On the Arte Website, I really like the Chick Chair."

Board Books winner: Twinmom, who wrote, "I'd love to give the books to my cousin's new baby for Hanukamas :) Love the different counting book."

Winners, please e-mail me to claim your prizes.

Everyone else, stay tuned for Monday's new giveaway from Baby Star.

See Jack Decorate

There's a lot of personalized kids' wall art out there right now, but this Child's Room Art Series of 3 Prints stood out when I was browsing Etsy recently. I like how the sweet, short text reads across the panels, and how the neutral colors work for either a girl or boy's room (though a pink version just for girls is also available). A really nice keepsake gift, too. You can also choose different wording if you have a special text you'd like to have printed. Each set of 3 8 x 10 panels costs $25 at Itsy Bitsy Store.

Until Next October...

I just took down all of our Halloween decorations and put them into a few Duane Reade shopping bags. I'd much rather be using these sturdier (and more attractive) Halloween Storage Containers I found at Space Savers. They are available in two seasonally-appropriate colors (pumpkin orange or royal purple) in 2 different sizes. The 18 gallon container is on sale for $7.99 and the 66 quart container is on sale for $9.99 (hint: now you can tell which one is bigger even if you don't remember your conversions). These will pop right out when you scan your closet for your Halloween decorations next Fall, for sure. Buy them at Space Savers.

Happy 40th Birthday, Sesame Street

"Somebody Come and Play", the original Sesame Street version from 1970. Brings me right back to my childhood. I loved this song. What were your Sesame Street favorites?

Want to learn fun facts about Sesame Street's 40th Anniversary? Here's a great article from this week's New York Magazine.

Holiday Sponsor: My Princess Closet

If you've got a little princess of a daughter (or niece, or granddaughter) whom you like to spoil, you will definitely want to check out our first holiday sponsor, My Princess Closet. This all-things-girly boutique site was started by a mom of three boys who was thrilled to welcome her first girl a few years ago. There is a great selection of girls' clothing, accessories, toys, and gifts that hit just the right "princess" note. Here are my top picks for holiday gifts from My Princess Closet:

If your own home isn't exactly castle-sized, consider this space-saving Fold & Go Princess Castle ($50). It comes with furniture, 2 horses, and a prince and princess, and has a convenient carrying handle.


I've always wanted one of these Books-to-Bed Sets for my own daughter. My Princess Closet sells the Pinkalicious, Purplicious, and Cinderella. Sizes 2T-6, $38 for each set.

Got a crafty princess? Consider this make-your-own princess puppet ($30) who arrives with two wigs, dresses, sparkly jewelry, and accessories.


Finally, if you want to buy girly clothing, My Princess Closet has marked all of its Fall '09 clothing off by 40%. You can snag some great deals on clothing by Tea Collection, Tartine et Chocolate, and Room Seven. This Stella Dress by Pink Chicken now costs $40.80 (originally $68) in sizes 12 months through 6.



Last but not least, take note that My Princess Closet offers flat rate $5 shipping on all orders- something that is oh-so-helpful when ticking off items on your holiday shopping list. Visit My Princess Closet.

Please note: holiday sponsors pay a small fee for their products to be reviewed. We only accept sponsors whose products we would recommend to our readers.

Better than Ziplocs

I just received a sample Pish Posh Carryall, which is a new purse organizer that allows moms to transfer baby essentials easily from diaper bag to "grown-up" bag and back. It is a lightweight fabric bag available in several pretty patterns, and it has multiple pockets both inside and out to carry a few diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, etc. Even though my kids are out of diapers, I would happily use this organizer to transfer my phone, keys, datebook, and other must-haves between my bags. It sure would be more stylish than the worn Ziploc bags I currently use for transfers. The carryalls cost about $45 apiece and shipping is a flat rate of just $2. Visit Pish Posh Mommy.

Guest Blogger: My Six-Year-Old Daughter

"Thees flashcards are for lurning they are very fun my bruther likes them. and i like them to i bet you will likethem to."
Typed by R., age 6.


Editor's note: This review refers to Kumon's ABC Write and Wipe flashcards ($8.95) which S's occupational therapist brought over for the kids. R. asked, "Can I write them on your blog? I like your job." And voila, a guest blogger is born. Stay tuned for more.

Toddler Turkey Day

If you've got a baby or toddler at the Thanksgiving table this year, check out this Thanksgiving dinnerware set by Baby Cie. The melamine set has cute Thanksgiving drawings and includes a compartmentalized dinner tray, juice cup, breakfast bowl, and spoon. $29.50 at Baby Gap.

Mmmm...Cupcakes

We're big fans of Melissa & Doug toys around here, and my kids love the M&D cookie decorating set, so I think they'd also have fun with the brand-new Melissa & Doug Bake & Decorate Cupcake Set. The nicely packaged set includes four cupcakes with wipe-off frosting tops (little bakers can "write" on the frosting with four dry erase markers in the shape of frosting tubes), decorative wooden candles with flames, cardboard baking cups, a wooden baking tin, and a cute red gingham oven mitt. It's a lot of stuff for a good price- just $15.97 for the set at Amazon.com. I think this is going to be become a popular preschool birthday gift....and keep it in mind for the holidays, too.