Boston Mamas: Fight the Tide Not only will GreenDimes fight your junk mail and catalogue tide for you (one registration covers up to 8 household members!); they’ll plant new trees on your behalf.

Coochicoos: How Do You Make Dinosaur Soup? Ask your kids how to make their favorite dish and it just might be put in a book.

One Chic Mama: Affordable Organics for Mom and Baby Otopia Organics body products for mamas and babies are free from harmful chemicals and toxins. They’re also more affordable than you might think.

Swanky Moms: Snap Totes I have a Snap Tote and I will tell you, I receive compliments on it ALL the time!! Even a handful of men have asked me where I got my bag!! I have handed out lots of business cards and given out the name of this wonderful company as I truly love my Snap Tote! It has a photo of my beautiful boys on it and I’m proud to carry it around….

MomFinds: The Best Rain Gear for Stylish Kids Puddle-worthy rain boots, seriously slick raincoats and the most colorful umbrellas that will brighten up the gloomiest day.

Moms Buzz: Expectant Moms Giveaway! 10 Pregnancy Books to Giveaway! Whether you are an expectant mom or not, you will certainly want to participate in this giveaway. As women and moms, we always happen to know someone who’s expecting, who truly needs to know the real deal about being pregnant. Enter to win!

Classy Mommy: Video Review of Horizon Organic Milk Horizon Organic Milk passed the taste test with my 2 year old daughter Mackenzie. She loved slurping it down in her non-toxic Boon “Fluid” sippy cup!

Over the last few years of running this site, I had heard a lot of talk about the Svan high chair. I strongly disliked the one we used with my oldest – a Baby Trend model that’s no longer sold in stores. So I was interested to test out the Svan chair, especially after I had reluctantly pulled the Baby Trend out of the basement.

This is now my latest baby product obsession. The price point is higher than your “average” high chair, there’s no denying that. But what makes this worthwhile is it’s versatility in comparison to other high chairs. This one lasts for years as it grows with your child. It converts into various stages – baby, toddler and can even be used as a computer chair for a teenager. I feel like that alone makes the price justifiable.

Other amazing selling points: it’s small. It’s not some monstrosity in my kitchen, but compact and it actually compliments the room. I have it in a natural wood, which matches our kitchen table. But you can pick whatever wood stain you’d like, other than natural, it also comes in cherry, whitewash, espresso and mahogany. There are also 9 cushion choices.

It comes with a tray cover which pops off easily for wipe down or cleaning in the dishwasher. And the whole thing cleans so easily – I wipe it down after each meal with a wet paper towel and it cleans much more quickly and efficiently than our old high chair. In short, I love it. In fact, I’m debating buying a second one since this is actually great for both boys. (Baby setting for the baby, toddler for my preschooler)

Check out the Svan site to read about all the other nifty features. It’s currently on sale at Albee Baby and they have free shipping on the chair.

So trying this one out couldn’t have come at a better time. My sitter called out last week, she had come down with a nasty case of strep and all the fun stuff that comes with it. I joined Sitter City, a national online babysitting service, and did a search for a local babysitter.

The sitter I ended up using came out for an interview first. I also found a weekend babysitter for those nights my husband and I may want a date night! And what was great is that she too was willing to come out for an interview to say hi, and I picked her out by simply doing a search on the site and contacting her after liking what her profile had to say.

The site is a great service and community tool. You can search by all sorts of criteria and can get as specific as you’d like. (non smoker, okay with pets, etc.) It’s free for sitters – they fill out a profile and most of them have their available hours listed. Sitter City has a chart at the base of each sitter’s page showing what their availability is. (Presuming they’ve filled it out.) They also provide information about themselves – including references and those that opt to, a background check. They have a rate calculator too which is cool. You put in how many kids you have, age, your zip code, age of the babysitter, and it’ll calculate what you should be paying. You can also rate sitters and leave comments to help other Moms decide.

They also have message boards – they’ve been down while I’ve been testing the site but I assume it’s a good spot to go and chat with other Moms about babysitters, what to look for, what questions to ask in an interview, rates and more. Now, they advise that your results are better if you post a specific job. (ie, Friday night sitter, 5 pm, my house) but you can opt to do a search only of babysitters with profiles.

Anyway, test it out. Hop over to the site and do a search to see who’s available near you. You can check out their photo and info for free, you just don’t have access to contact them until you join. If you chose to join, use coupon code MWS for 10% off your membership (annual membership, $95.88, or $5 off of the monthly membership, $39.99.)

The latest bag I’ve been carrying is the Baby Skooch, the “incognito diaper bag.” There’s truth in the tag line, this bag doesn’t scream “diaper bag” as some others do. It’s a simple and functional design – outside pockets to hold bottles and sippy cups, and two adjustable straps that can be clipped and unclipped to suit your needs.

The strap thing took me a few uses to get efficient with, but I’m a master with it now – if I’m headed into the mall or somewhere with a stroller, I simply unclip the straps on each side and then clip them around the stroller handle/s and I’m set to go. We’ve been using the Sit n Stand in the mall lately – as my 3-year-old likes to crawl in and out of his own accord. In the past, this has been an issue as he always complains about my diaper bag which is typically hanging low and in his way – the Skooch hangs higher and securely so he’s been able to push it aside and hop in and out much more easily.

I love the changing pad that comes with the bag. I’ve never been big on changing pads, I use them but have never been all that impressed with one over the other – but for some reason I’ve really been liking the Baby Skooch. It tucks away nicely into a big pocket on the side, and it’s plush. In fact, I used it over the weekend for the baby and loved the thickness of it on top of the changing station in the public bathroom I was in.

Most of the pockets on this bag are on the outside, but there’s one small zippered one on the inside. The bag comes two tone or patterned, I’m currently using the Pacific (blue/brown).

Julie’s currently carrying them on Precious Personalities – shop there and use MWS10 for 10% off, free shipping is already included.

I first discovered Lexie Barnes back in 2005. My first review of her bags was of the Darling, which to this day continues to be one of my most favored bags. I now own two Darlings and although I use many diaper bags, I always fall back on hers. So I was excited to check out her new backpack line, the Duchess.

So I asked my friend Rachael (two kids – ages 4.5 and 11 months) to test out the bag, as she’s a self-professed diaper bag backpack guru. Rachael doesn’t do non-backpack diaper bags so I knew that she’d have high standards. The short of it – she’s loving the Duchess.

Here’s some of her feedback:

-biggest bonus for her is comfort. The back is padded, as is the underside of the straps, making it very comfortable to tote around.
-loves the shape and layout of the bag. the placement of the pockets is functional and accessible.
- the mesh pockets are also great for her. At first she thought they wouldn’t fit much, but she’s been hearing me rave about mesh side pockets for ages. (They are still my favorite on any bag for sippy cups/bottles) In fact, Rachael’s been fitting two bottles on one side – talk about efficient stretching!

Other perks about the bag include clips to hang the backpack from the back of your stroller.

Okay and here’s something else that’s nice about the bag. I once had a conversation with my friend Stephanie about diaper bags. She said something I think totally coined our eternal diaper bag search, “I want a small bag that is stylish and will fit tucked under my arm, but it’ll fit two sippies, diapers and wipes, all my accessories and more…” We had a good laugh, the point being that as Moms we probably want the impossible in a bag – small itty bitty stylish bag, that opens up and we can pull out the world.

And when I pulled the Duchess out of the box, I thought, hmm, this looks smaller than I had pictured and thought it would be. Therein lies another great feature IMO – I think it looks smaller than it actually is. Expanded, it actually fits quite a bit.

Use coupon code DUCHESS for free shipping on the Lexie Barnes website.

First time around, we had one of those “My First Album” photo album baby toys (Who Loves Baby?). It ended up being one of my now-3-year-old’s favorite toys, he loved looking at pictures of us, himself and other family members. Of course, it got so completely slimed that I ended up having to throw it, and the pictures out once we were done with it.

Fast forward to baby #2, and I was planning on going to Babies R Us for the same toy until I saw some sample cards from Goosie Cards, customized flashcards made for baby and family.

I love these – they are made of laminated, heavy stock paper – substantial enough for little hands to hold and not bend. Plus the lamination is nice because you can wipe them clean from drool and other dirt factors. They’re big too (4.5″ by 7.5″), so they’re easy for little hands to grasp.

You can put whatever photos you’d like on the cards, as well as print wording below. If you don’t want to put your own photos in, or don’t have enough personal photos, they also have a gallery of images you can select from. (Pick a picture of an “apple,” put the word below the picture and use the card in an educational nature)

The cards come in 7-10 days in a nice box. The sets start at $28 each, use coupon code mwsspring07 to receive 15% off your order now through May 31, 2007.

Enjoy this week’s popular articles from these great parent blogs:

The Stylish Child: Swaddling Baby in Luxury Swaddle Designs ultimate receiving blanket swaddles your baby in luxury

SheFindsMom Goes Organic for Earth Day Celebrate Earth Day with these eco-friendly organic finds for babies and Earth Mamas

Boston Mamas: Keeping Kids Safe Resources to help teach your kids about safety in a way that won’t scare them (or you).

One Chic Mama: Organic Mommy, Organic Baby Luxurious organic products for mother and child from Erbaorganics

Babyfaces – Photo of the Week Father and newborn son bond early

Celebrity Moms: Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Has Her Very First Legal Battle She’s not even a year old, but Shiloh Jolie Pitt has begun her first legal battle with the help of her mom

Classy Mommy: D-artCompany Canvas Prints D-artCompany.com has some fabulous ways to turn your favorite memories into beautiful gifts. Win a chance to create your own Photo Realistic Canvas Print of your favorite memory valued at $140.

Coochicoos: Celebrating a New Baby in the Year of the Pig Check out a baby shower invite designed for babies born in this year of the golden pig

Friday Eye Candy: TV Hotties Our weekly installment of sweets for you, because you’re worth it…

Mommies with Style: Uptown Bella’s new bag 15% off this hip new laptop bag made of WeatherTac Nylon (spill proof!)

Swanky Moms: Boon Animal Bag Funky stuffed animal organized/chair

You wouldn’t quite know it, as it’s been in the 40s all week, but we did actually have a hint of spring last month here in Philly. Several 70-degree days were just enough to give me a taste of what’s to come, and to get itching to get back outside.

On one of those gorgeous days, we put together our new City Series double. I reviewed the City Series Single back in March of 2006. We’ve logged many miles on that beloved stroller – mostly beach miles, and it’s been a great stroller for us.

Now we have two kids, and I really debated what to do. My oldest is over 3, 3.5 this summer, and I wasn’t sure if he’d need a stroller. But given that we take long walks around the neighborhood and at the beach in the summer, I thought it was probably a necessity – because although he’ll walk – miles of walking is out of the question.

So it made sense we’d try the City Series double, since we loved the single so much. It’s pretty much the same as the single – all the same great features including:

-a swivel wheel (opt to lock or not)
-ample weight limit
-very easy folding
-a nice, big-sized storage basket underneath
-a bigger and better canopy with the new single and double City Series (3 levels, definitely shades baby from sun better than the old one)
-rear parking break
-adjustable handle
-pockets in the back of the stroller. (Great for cell phone, keys, wallet, etc.)

As I mentioned in my older review, the adjustable handle is great. So many strollers are a problem for us as my husband is pretty tall – he always kicks the back of the stroller because he’s hunched over to hold onto the handle of some other strollers – this isn’t an issue with the City Series as he can stand upright.

I should note – the City Series isn’t a traditional jogger – it’s a hybrid. Although I used to be a runner, I rarely get out for an actual jog these days. The City Series works just fine for short runs, brisk walks and idle walks around the neighborhood. To me, that’s the benefit – it’s suitable for many different speeds and terrains, which is great for us as a family. But it isn’t a long-distance marathon stroller, for that you’d need to look to one of their official jogging strollers.

And I’m not sure if this is a stupid thing to mention or not but here goes. I was concerned about having my sons side by side. We’re talking 38 pounds of a tall, active 3-year old next to an average-sized 5 month old. I wasn’t sure it would push smoothly given the distributed weight – well my fears were definitely unfounded as it’s not an issue at all. Not only can I not tell who is on what side, but each side reclines up or back to whatever setting you’d like – so I typically lay the baby down pretty far and my 3-year-old sits upright and it’s not an issue at all.

You can buy the City Series Double (and Single) on Let’s Go Strolling. Use coupon code MWS10 for 10% off your order.

It’s Friday and that means… more great stories from the top parent blogs on the web.

• Boston Mamas: Intimacy S.O.S.
  Exhausted parents can’t help but be prone to losing their bedroom mojo; Esther Perel’s “Mating in Captivity” can help you right the intimacy ship.
• Celebrity Moms: The Scoop on Tori Spelling’s Modern Nursery
  Tori Spelling creates a nursery to fit her modern, funky style
• Classy Mommy: Fairy Princess Designs Tooth Fairy Pillows
  What a keepsake gift! Fabulous girl and boy patterns – think Princess or Pirate!
• Coochicoos: Say I Love You with a Bumbi Doll
  Remind your kids you’re never far away with a customized Bumbi Doll
• 
  Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony Splitting Up?
  Is Marc Anthony “suffocating” J-Lo?



• Mommies with Style: Baby Jogger’s City Series Double
  Upgrading to a double couldn’t be easier.
• One Chic Mama: Fat Girl Slim
  A great cream from Benefit that helps smooth skin as it firms, trims, tones, and energizes.
• SheFindsMom: Baby Shoe Buying Guide
  The most adorable, comfy shoes for newborns, crawlers, toddlers—and big kids, too.
• Swanky Moms: Jayneoni Moore & Renae Plant’s fashion show at BCLA
  2 Fashion Shows at BCLA
• The Stylish Child: Containing Diaper Change Clutter
  The stylish Sara Bear Baskets create changing basket envy
• Babyfaces – Photo of the Week
  A Little Angel Smiles…

I have to be one of the uncraftiest Moms I know. Art was definitely not my forte in school, something made only slightly worse by the fact that my grandmother was a talented artist, as is my mother when she actually draws or paints something. So you’d think given the DNA thing, I’d be able to draw a picture of Dora that my child would recognize. Alas, it’s not so, this Mommy got the recessive artistically-challenged trait. And sometimes I see all these other mothers going to A.C. Moore or Michaels and coming up with all sorts of fun rainy day projects and I’m just at a loss.

So when I recently heard from FunWellDone.com, a great little site and service that makes creating projects with your child incredibly easy, I was interested to check them out. They’ve done all the craft store shopping and organization for you. In short, we loved it.

We did this Sticky Foam Collage, which is meant for kids in the age range of 1.5 years to 4. Everything came ready for us – a sticky foam page, ribbons and pom-poms for us to put on the page. We did it one rainy afternoon and it was a big hit here. I literally did not get out a thing – didn’t even have to get a pair of scissors out. A page of instructions is included for those of you who are challenged like me.

They have all sorts of fun projects – and the price is great. $9.99 for most of them, which is much less than you’d spend buying all the supplies at a craft store. And they’re cute! Check out the Bumblebee and the other projects.

In addition, FunWellDone.com sells party favors – one small project, again, no materials needed. We sampled the Funky Penguin and the Fabulous Flower (which makes 3 flowers). We did have a hard time getting the Penguin to stay together (a little too excited with that one) but the flowers were a huge hit – and super easy to put together. I love the idea of these for a party favor – who needs one more party favor from the usual places? And it encourages creativity in your child.

Use coupon code MWS for 15% off your order of anything on the site.

Editor’s Note: Clever Parents loves Fun Well Done. Look for a vidcast coming soon featuring these truly well done craft projects.

When I was in college, I strangely never kept an day planner. I was able to keep my day to day assignments and to-dos in my head and surprisingly, I was never late and almost never forgot an assignment. I used to pride on my super memory skills that seemed immune to my weekend antics.

So cheap beer and late nights didn’t do it but Mommyhood did, as it’s either killed off or dulled those brain cells beyond any means of functioning. These days I find myself doing a double take to the back seat in the car just to make sure I have both kids in place and didn’t leave one of them in a shopping cart somewhere two stores back. Needless to say, remembering a specific appointment or place I have to be is well beyond this Mom’s current brain capacity.

Last year, I succumbed to the life or someone who needs to use an organizer. For 2007, I’ll use the same day planner that I used in 2006: the MomAgenda. It’s a gorgeous planner. Each day separates your agenda and your kids schedule (which I imagine will only come in more handy as my kids get older and get into sports and a million other activities.) There’s also other Note sections unique to this planner as it’s tailored for Moms: spots where you can make notes on health, fitness, parties you intend to host, vacation ideas and more.

Besides being a great organizer, it’s a cute accessory too. For 2007, I have the crocodile desktop planner, but there’s also the mini, executive edition and more. And if you aren’t sure you’d use it, you can download the free, printable version to test and check it out.

Here’s a little anecdote that says it all about the difference between a first time Mom and a second time Mom: with Nate (my first son), I was compulsive about the cleanliness of his binky. It always sat in a bag or ziploc in my diaper bag, and anytime I was out, I’d wash it obsessively to make sure it was germ free. If it fell on the ground and I only had one with me, forget it, he’d have to cry until we got home or until I found a sink to wash it in.

The other day, I realized how much I had changed. Cole (the baby) started crying. I went to reach into my diaper bag, where I knew I had just randomly tossed in a binky right before leaving the house. Of course it had found it’s way to the bottom of the bag. I fished it out from the bottom of the bag, where all sorts of crumbs and unidentified objects reside.

So what did I do? Brushed it on the side of my jeans and shoved it into Cole’s mouth. And to be honest, I didn’t even really think about it as I merrily went along my way with a subdued and pacified baby. Oh, how times have changed. As a second time Mom, your standards lower – simply because you don’t have the time to be any other way.

Of course, I later realized that I didn’t have to give my poor baby a dirty binky, if I had actually been using the JJ Cole Pacifier Pod that we have. (Which is now been placed in my diaper bag, holding a clean pacifier.)

The Pacifier Pod is a cute and affordable little accessory that you can tuck away in your bag to keep your child’s pacifier clean. It has a little strap/handle that you can even velcro to the outside of your bag for easy access. Heck, you can velcro it to your belt loop if you’d like it that close to you…

You can find them at Babies R Us, but you can also get them online at Chit Chat Baby for 10% off. Use coupon code “travelpod” to receive 10% off.

My son’s latest morning routine involves coming in to wake us up, and then climbing into bed with us and asking us to get under the “fort.” As Moms know, kids love tents, forts, places they can hide and let their imagination run wild.

The TeePee for Me is a fantastic play item for your child. They come in some fabulous fabric choices, and rise to over 5 feet tall.

Set-up is really easy (we did it in stealth as we’re saving this one for either a December birthday present or a new baby brother present and didn’t want to ruin the surprise) and took all of 10 seconds to get up into standing position. It’s really grand-looking when it’s set up and I can’t wait to see the excitement on my son’s face when he checks it out for the first time.

They range in price from $288-366. Age range for this one is toddler to tween, so you definitely get your money’s worth as it lasts for many years of playtime. Mention “Mommies With Style” at check out & receive free Pillow ($64 value) with TeePee purchase.

This one makes a great present for the holidays – imagine Christmas morning and the look on your child’s face coming down to this…

So I recently got ahold of a copy of this book, This Little Piggy went to Prada: Nursery Rhymes for the Blahnik Brigade. So funny. For those of you who have read Bergdof Blondes, this is like the kids version. Each rhyme has it’s own modern twist to it relating to fashion, shopping and couture culture.

For example, “There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,” has been changed to “There was a young woman who lived in her Choos.” And I love the beginning of “This Old Man,” which starts out, “This old man, he played one, off to St. Tropez for some sun, In her Gucci, Pucci, Mummy needs to tone, time to get the trainer home.”

What a great baby shower gift for that friend who loves to shop, or just a fun purchase for yourself for the amusement!

List price is $19.95, you can get it on Amazon for $13.57 and it’s eligible for free shipping when you spend $25 or more. And hurry… Earlier it was showing as limited quantities as it just came out, but it’s back in stock so get it while you can.

Lately, it seems like the “diaper holder” or “diapers case” notion is popping up from companies and in boutiques all over the place. They come in a zillion different patterns and styles and it’s hard to distinguish between them.

I recently saw one from Goober Baby that I’m now using; it’s a very nice quality product. What makes me so enamored of these diapers case (as they call it, “change purse“), is that the lining is a plush, soft lining that I can’t help but touch every time I put my diapers in it.

I should note – size wise it’s tight for someone like me – I pack 3 size 6 Huggies diapers into it, so it doesn’t fit a wipes case. (I keep my Made by Angie wipes case seperate in my bag.) But it would hold 2 smaller diapers and a plastic wipes case no problem. Next to the Goober change purse, I keep the Goober Changing Pad, which is also lined inside with the same cream-colored plush lining. (The kind of pad I’d want to be laid down on if I were a baby!)

Lastly, they make the Lunch Bag – which has a plastic, see-through front and the back is made of that same plush lining. The inside back has the cute pattern on it and the plastic is nice for wipe-down if need be. I’ve been using it in my diaper bag as a “snack bag.” It’s bigger than it looks online – I can fit several bags of fruit snacks, a couple granola bars, a couple small packs of Goldfish and one of those 6-pack cracker cases. I love the fact that all the snacks are all organized in my bag as well, it makes it nice and easy for those meltdown/”Mom, I’m hungreeeeeeeeee” moments when you otherwise can’t get to food. Check out all the cute patterns you can purchase these products in.

Use coupon code “MWS26GBB” on the BlueBlankie.com website to receive 10% off your order on either the changing mat, change purse or both. Coupon expires December 1, 2006.

I don’t know what it is about hats, but I’m a sucker for them on a baby or preschooler. My son wouldn’t wear one as a toddler but recently has been into wearing them again — which has me more than thrilled, as I have a whole collection of “too cute” winter hats ready for wear this winter. One of these hats we recently received was a La Folie Knit.

I have to tell you guys, I’m playing it straight when I tell you that I’m legitimately laughing as I type this review at the memory of him with his La Folie Knit on. Yes, it’s that cute.

The hat he has is the one pictured, appropriately called the “Giggle.” (Nate’s is in black, not pink, c’mon guys, I’m not THAT bad.) Their other hats are adorable as well. (Check out the “Harf-pint,” a hat and scarf morph-combo.) Every item at La Folie Knits is hand-knit, expressing it’s own personality unique only to itself. Be sure to also check out their scarves, sweaters and blankets.

Get 10% off your order on the La Folie Knit website by using coupon code MWS10 in the message section of the order form.

So I recently received a tee from Lucky Lou that reads, “Does this baby make me look fat?” and I just love it! I wore it to a kids birthday party last weekend and received numerous amused comments about it.Not to mention that it’s a great size tee as “one size fits all.” (My latest grievance is aimed at these high-end maternity shirts that are no way long enough for a person in their third trimester – NOT the case with the Lucky Lou tee which covered my belly just nicely, even at this point.)Check their tees out on ShopLuckyLou.com. They have several amusing maternity tee choices, as well as non-maternity tees, gifts and items for baby.

Use coupon code “Lucky me” for 10% off.