Okay, so, I’m making my way through the sites that Jennifer mentioned in the comments here, and I started with PsychoBaby and it made me laugh. Okay, the site itself didn’t make me laugh (though some of the products were cracking me up). But I started laughing because it reminded me of a backpack that I was shown the other day. A friend had bought this adorable little pink backpack for her daughter, completely girly with roses all over it. It wasn’t until she got it home that she noticed images of skulls intermingled with all …read more

I keep forgetting to share with you a new site featuring adorable handmade baby gifts! From our favorite island girl comes the Island Baby Boutique. The Hawaiian Print Bibs are adorable and, though we all know how I feel about teeth, I have to admit that the personalized Tooth Fairy Pillow is too cute. I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of a Diaper Shirt, though. Must be an island thing.
So, head on over, and pick up a few very special and personalized gifts for the new babies in your life! Adorable products, …read more

I do believe that this is the first time I’ve ever written about something that just popped into my e-mail inbox, but these were a little too cute not to share.
This little onesie with the word “indefatigable” aptly describes my kids as babies (I’m sure yours, as well ), and it would’ve been adorable having them crawl around sharing the truth of their nature on their chests!
You can check out all of the fun onesies, and t-shirts, too, at their website. They are quite whimsical.

I’ve been nominated for this week’s Hot Stuff Award at GNMParents. The post in question was my mention of Julie Aigner-Clark’s recognition in the State of the Union Address.
While I have nothing against the Baby Einstein products, I can’t honestly say that I’ve ever seen the videos, listened to the CDs, or played with the toys. I can see why Erica of GNMParents took my enthusiastic congratulations of Aigner-Clark as a promotion of her product.
In actuality, I was congratulating Aigner-Clark on harnessing her passion, sharing it with the world, and being able to make a …read more

In his State of the Union Address tonight, President of the United States, George W. Bush mentioned Julie-Aigner Clark, founder and creator of Baby Einstein. I’m guessing you’ve heard of it?
Here’s what POTUS (I love saying that) had to say:

After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming childrens videos in her basement. The Baby Einstein Company was born and in just 5 years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. In November 2001, …read more

My son is a super-trekker. He loves to walk off-road. As long as it’s not paved, he’s all for walking. If there’s pavement, he wants me to carry him. What’s the logic in that?!
In any case, hiking is definitely an activity that all families can enjoy. The folks at Stroller Hikes meet up every Tuesday in the San Francisco Bay Area to run or walk-run with baby joggers for 30-45 minutes. I’m more of a baby sling-type of gal so I don’t know if I would fit in, but if I were ever going to try it, I would …read more

No, not my writing. Or, well, maybe.
Anyway, since chatting with several sleep-deprived friends this week, I’ve realized how very lucky I am to have kids who, for the most part, are awesome sleepers. How did we manage this? Great sleep genetics, I think. So, good luck with that. Other than that, I think sleep rituals have been essential for our kids.
My oldest has not had a night where there hasn’t been some type of music playing in her room. For the first few years, it was Michael Card’s Sleep Sound in Jesus that we’d …read more

Nesting syndrome supposedly hit most pregnant women in their last trimester. *ahem* It didn’t hit me. My poor husband and mother-in-law were left cleaning the house when I went into labor. It wasn’t that dirty. Honest!
While you’re doing up the baby’s new nursery, keep the following from the Telegraph in mind:

Paints and varnishes give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have been associated with birth defects.
Water-based paints are less hazardous than solvent-based ones, but even they might contain metal-based pigments.
Sanding down the paintwork in an older house might expose you to a high dose …read more