9-09-09!

Next Wednesday, 9-09-09, join in the fun and a help a great cause at Baby Buzz downtown in Willow Glen. A couple months ago I attended one of these events thrown by Karen and Sarah, and it was so fun! Help A Mother Out is a non-profit organization that provides diapers to families in need. Do a little shopping while you check out the cool digs, and partake in some food and prizes. Enjoy a little discount from the store when you contribute some diapers, and show your kids what it means to help other moms and kids out in a fresh, fun way! The event is located at 1314 Lincoln Ave, San Jose, 95126 and is from 3-6PM.

Help A Mother Out at Baby Buzz

Yesterday was a very long day, but one of the highlights was a diaper drive hosted by Baby Buzz in Willow Glen through the organization Help a Mother Out. Help a Mother Out is a non-profit that collects and distributes diapers to families in need. I found out about it via Twitter and fellow tweep, Sarah. Karen, the owner of Baby Buzz, was also on hand to host the festivities.

I grabbed the rest of Alexi's diaper stash and we headed out for a day on the town. By the time we got to Baby Buzz I was burnt out from a long day. But Sarah and Karen were two laid back friendly ladies! They offloaded the diapers, gave the boys a snack, and poured me a nice glass of wine. Hello? Can we say new best friends to moms everywhere?


I thoroughly enjoyed my little rest, and explored the glorious store. I picked up a beautiful shower gift, and a really cool water bottle for Math. Before we left we got to witness an amazing surprise! The goal of the evening had been to hit 1,000 diapers. The Willow Glen branch from Valley Credit Union apparently got wind of this over Twitter and walked in with over 1,000 diapers! Totally unexpected, and a very ecstatic Sarah was overjoyed. It was a great night!


Just goes to show the power of cool people, and a little Twitter action, goes a long way for a great cause :0)

Birthday Gifting...

Want a unique and cool, but inexpensive birthday gift? Make a shirt! I bought a simple outfit from Target's Circo line ($8 for the set), and ironed on a vintage cut-out I picked up at a boutique in LA. The cut out is made from a few vintage fabrics that have been quilted together and cut into a bird shape. Iron it on, and then sew in a zig-zag to ensure it won't come off in the wash. Voila! Totally hip, one-of-a-kind baby gift that's straight from the heart :0)

Paxton Gate Curiosities for Kids

If you've ever been to Paxton Gate you know it's like a David Sedaris Wonderland Emporium. Seriously, they have some really weird stuff in there! But fascinating...

Anyway, Paxton Gate has a kid's store! I was in the Mission with a friend over the weekend and we took a peek inside. This whimsical store was chock full of unique art, vintage and handmade treasures, and other beautiful gift ideas for kids of all ages. Unfortunately all I had was my iPhone with me, but here's a glimpse of some of the amazingly cool, quirky things I came across. My favorite was a shaddow puppet stage.

They also offer kid yoga classes in the back room Mondays 2-4. You need to enroll ahead of time with the instructor.

Tie Ts

Look what I just picked up for Alexi! Designer Tie T-shirts are all the rage right now, but the designer price made me want to faint. Check out this swank Etsy shop that sells a huge variety of Tie T's for a great price!

I think we need to get one of these...

It's swim season already here in The Valley. Alexi has become fearless when it comes to the pool, but he's not a huge fan of swim lessons atm. He regularly likes to get in and out of the pool making me a sopping mess most of the time running in and out after him. He mostly just likes to stand on the stairs, and I've got about 5 pairs of eyes besides my own always on him, but I need something that gives me a tiny piece of mind just in case he falls in. I think it's time to invest in one of these. He hates his infant float because his mobility is severely obstructed, and he's not strong enough to stay afloat with the regular arm swimmies. I'm not touting floats as life saving devices, but they might give you a few extra seconds to jump in after them...

This thing just might do the trick!

Hat Happiness

I don't think it's a secret that I'm a huge fan of hats. My kids like them, too!

Here's a few new hats that are fresh and fun for upcoming sunny summer days.

These are a staple for the pool and the park. They're light and fast drying, hold up to sand and chlorine, and stay put on Junior's head. Can be found at Mel Cottons in SJ and PA Sport Shop and Toy World, Sports Basement Presidio in SF.

Isn't this the cutest? And it's reversible!

My sons have an endless supply of newsboy caps. They're timeless, and they always look good dressed up or down. Found at Janie and Jack.


Now for the Moms:
Lacoste Sun Hat is not only sporty and cute, but functional for tennis lessons and the pool! Can be found at Valley Fair, Union Square in SF, and Stanford Shopping in PA.

This one is sweet and has a vintage throwback feel.

And the omg hat...isn't it fab? Found at Saks Fifth Ave.

I'm Wasted on Boys

It's been no secret my desire for a daughter someday. So much in fact that we are hoping to adopt from Korea sometime in the next few years. I'm adopted from the country myself so I think it's predestined to be this way...a sort of closing the circle if you will. Recently, I think this desire has reached all new heights. We've been invited to an astonishing number of girl birthday parties this past month, and I've gotta say I LOVE girl birthday parties! It gives me an excuse to get in touch with my fru-fru side. This has been compounded even further by my newly contracted crafting condition. So what does a craft-sick mom with a fru-fru side make the girls in her sons lives? Well, tutus of course!

I found some simple "how-to" instructions on RookieMoms here. I took it a step further by doubling up the amount of tulle (to make them fluffier) and adding some ribbons of varriying widths and colors as well. Paired with a cute, inexpensive top these make the most fabulous, one-of-a-kind gifts! They can be worn over jeans, leotards, sweats...Hell, I've half a mind to make one for myself!

Poor Alexander - he was my test manequin. I had to make sure it was going to fit, right??? ;0)

Summer Sun Means Sandal Fun!

YAY! The weather is warm, the pool is open, and the only thing that's missing is footwear for the kiddies. I'm listing off my personal favorites...

Sride Rite Wyatt. The name keeps changing, the style does not. I've been buying Matthew the same pair of shoes each year for the past 8 years, and there's a good reason why. They are industructable, they look great dressed up or down, and they come in widths (anyone with a child with wide feet can attest to this particular woe). Even better, Great Mall in Milpitas has a Stride Rite outlet store so you can get them much cheaper, too.

I'm told (from very good sources) Havaianas are the hottest footware in Latin America and Spain. These Brazilian made sandals are fast becoming popular here in the States, too. Matthew was gifted a pair last summer, and they easily became his favorite pool sandals. They are rubber so you can wear them in the shower, come in a huge array of fresh colors and styles. and are very comfy. If you aren't fortunate enough to have a Latin-American traveling girlfriend, then these can be found at Nordstrom and I also hear reports of people finding them at Marshalls, too!

Here's another international gem I've come across. S'avarca's are favorites of the Spanish Royals, and look so comfortable and cute. I think Alexi would look very cute in them, but he's got a huge collection of gorgeous Spanish hand me downs that he can't seem to tear through fast enough :0) Might have to break down and get them anyway. 3 Soles is the only distributer here in the US selling these shoes.

And lastly, a more local brand, Rainbow Sandals. Math has outgrown two pairs of these, and is coming up on his third this summer! Until recentely, if you lived outside of California it's doubtful you'd heard of Rainbows before. I think they were SoCal's best kept secret for a long time, alas, no longer. Rainbows are super comfy board sandals that come with built in arch support. Customer service is reportably excellent as well. Rainbows are now becoming mainstream for the rest of us mere mortals. Pick up a pair at your local Nordstrom or Pac Sun.

PS - Moms, all but the Stride Rites come in your size, too! :0)

Baby Gifting...

For some reason everyone I know is pregnant right now! There must be something in the water :0)

Anyway, here's a list of some great items to bestow any new mom...

Serena & Lily 'Market' Baby Sling sold at Nordstrom. Beautiful sling!

This German wooden activity gym is eco-friendly and cute! Can be found at The Play Store.

Glass, BPA/phthalate-free, silicon sheathed wee•go baby bottles. Found at your nearest BabyGap.

Baby Bunch apparel starter set, all wrapped up to look like a beautiful nosegay! Saw these at Right Start awhile ago. Don't if they still have them.

Mustela baby bath and skin products. Smells great, and it's French! Line at Pure Beauty, Sephora, Nordstrom, and Babies R Us.

"The Baby Owner's Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance." My MIL got this book for my husband before our son was born, and he used it all the time!

Maggie's Functional Organic Panda Set! Sooo cute! Found at Whole Foods.

Check out this pudgy panda!

Etsy Ecstasy

When I see stuff like this, I always think, "I could do that..."

Or this.

*sigh* or this.

But then I never do. Doh.

Baby Ankle Bangles

I don’t like to admit it, but I see a celebrity and they have such a lovely accessory on their kid, and I can’t help but be compelled to buy it. This was one such purchase. Above are sterling silver ankle bangles. They have two little bells that are soldered on to an adjustable ring...so when your little one starts walking you hear a faint little jingle. They are very popular with Asian cultures so I wouldn't be surprised if you could find them in a upscale Asian or Indian jewelry shop.

I have no idea where you might find them in the Bay Area...I bought mine off eBay for about $10. baby emi also has beautiful heirloom quality versions of them, but they are a bit pricier.

Baby Those Legs!

I absolutely love BabyLegs®! They’re so practical and have such fresh and cool fabric colors and designs. When Alexander was crawling they were great for protecting his chubby knees! Lately, since he’s outgrown his winter wear, we’ve been using them as additional layers during cooler evenings at the park.

I recently saw BabyLegs® for sale at Target, but I’ve also seen them sold at Nanoo at Santana Row in San Jose. Lullabye Lane in San Bruno also sells them!

UPDATE: I'm wearing these as arm-wamers at ZUMBA class...Love them!

Little Giraffe Blankets

Okay, no pun intended, I have a "soft spot" for blankets. I loved mine as a child. My older son is still attached to his, and when the second one arrived I was sure he'd love his blanket, too. Well...not so much...he's attached to a stuffed panda, go figure.


But, in a hormone induced, blanket-crazed, pregnant state I found the softest, snuggliest blanket at Nordstrom. Little Giraffe makes beautiful, warm, cloud-soft blankets, and I wholly back them. Just make sure not to put them in the dryer on high!