Archive for April, 2008

Good Shoes can be Hard to Find

April 29, 2008 · Filed under Clothes, Everyday Stuff

Lots of parents think a certain classic “Stride” store is the only great place to get good kids shoes. But they are wrong (sorry guys) there are other great places too! Places that make shoes with the right arch, the right sole, the right sizes, toe wiggle room, etc etc. One such place is Vincent Shoes. We got two pairs of great Vincent shoes, a pair of great winter boots, and a pair of sneakers, and love them both. Obviously we won’t be needing winter boots anymore, but now is a GREAT time to buy clearance pairs for next winter! I do have to confess we bought different shoes. Blu has very large very flat feet, (that also stink but that’s another story) and it causes a lot of fit issues. So we don’t wear our Vincents all the time. When a one year old wears a toddler size 6, and has feet that are over 5 inches long, it causes fit problems. So I can’t really tell you how well they fit. BUT I can tell how nice they are! The quality is amazing! Blu loves his Vincents, when he isn’t wearing them he carries them around like they are his favorite toy! I think his Vincents are nicer then any shoes I own.

I love these shoes. Really. I will be buying more, lots more! I wish they made some of their great styles in adult sizes! They have such a great selection it’s nearly impossible to pick just one style to order!

There is a great story behind Vincent Shoes. When a beautiful (no doubt) boy was born, his uncle and his uncles partner wanted to buy a pair of shoes as a cute gift. They weren’t impressed with the selection and using their fashion know-how they designed a whole new line! Soon after the real Vincent was a year old there was a Swedish store selling Vincent Shoes! Now they are worldwide with a North America dealer as well!

While Vincent Shoes are “designer” they aren’t over designed. They are completely functional kids shoes. They offer everything from soft booties and pre-walkers soft shoes, to toddlers, and kids shoes. They also offer softer soled “Indoor Shoes,” that to me are just enough protection for beginning walkers to wear outside. They feature true soles (not just leather or fabric soles) but it is a very flexible rubber.

Swing by their site and you’ll find much better designs then the classic mall store.If you do have trouble with fitting, they offer an exchange on full priced items! There’s also free shipping on orders over $75!

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Don’t Forget your Chance to Win!!

April 28, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

Don’t forget our current contest ends in just a few days! Swing by the post and enter to win! There will be 6 winners!

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I love Note Cards.

April 25, 2008 · Filed under Everyday Stuff, For Mom, Great Gifts

I do. I love note cards. I love to write a quick thank you, or apology on a beautiful or funny card and send it off to announce my emotions. Though I do confess I don’t send note cards as much as I’d like to. These note cards might inspire me to send more though. Ltd Chix is a great small mom-run company that features designs for moms that are “Living the Dream.” Using basic black prints Ltd Chix captures the essence of mom, especially stay at home moms. Using cartoon versions of classic household scenes they’ve been bringing the humor of motherhood to t-shirts for several years and now you can send the humor through the mail with note cards! The note cards come in a variety pack that feature some of their best designs. All the “Moms” are there. What Moms you ask? Let me tell you about their great designs!

Vacuum Mom is wearing sweat pants and vacuuming up a recent child made mess. You can even spot a drink that has already been spilled behind her! Surely a scene that plays out almost daily in most households.

This one will sound familiar. Cooking Mom, frying pan in hand, on the phone with a child hanging off of one arm.

How about Minivan Mom? A mom driving her minivan complete with kids and sports gear in tow.

The card variety pack is 10 classic mom designs and envelopes for $15.95. With just a small splash of color
but a big splash of humor these cards are my new favorite. I giggle at the thought of someone opening my notes, in fact I giggle every time I see these great graphics! The note cards really scream “be glad I found time to write this!” and reiterate the point that being Mom is a full-time job. Get yours today at Ltd Chix, and feel free to mail me a giggle!

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Do you have a Buddha Baby?

April 24, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

I know I do! Born at almost 9 pounds Blu has always been a big boy, which made me love baby clothes with Buddha on them. So I fell head over heels for the onesies
at Lotus Blossom Style Especially since they are organic cotton, so no chemicals or yuckies on your baby and even the silk screen paint is Non-toxic! While baby clothes with humorous sayings are cute and jovial these onesies are cute but make a real statement. Made with a soft cotton with the just the right amount of stretch these onesies get the job done with style.

While many companies are currently jumping on the “Green” bandwagon this company started with the world in mind. They truly care about the cause. One look at their “Our Story” page about them will show you what their true intentions are. The whole company was started by a great woman who simply knew there was a need for clothes that displayed your beliefs. She says “I felt so happy and at peace that a shirt was celebrating and making public my internal beliefs.” She started the business based on a “Peace” tank top and a vision.

Besides the great Baby Onesies with Buddha, there are several Lotus designs for babies, kids, and women. They have great lines of Bamboo clothing for men and women. They have several kids and even teens shirts. Hands down my favorite thing about their site and their shop is that every item conveys a bigger message. Every item helps you to display your thoughts to the world. So start with the Baby Onesies, $26 each, and your child can grow with Lotus Blossom Style all the way to adult hood.

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Need an Activity? How about 52?

April 22, 2008 · Filed under Baby, Entertainment, Games, Great Gifts

The company Pal Toys creates these wonderful decks of activity cards. Available in decks by age or by skill. Available decks include, Baby, Age 1, 2, Preschool, Reading, Writing, Math, and Thinking. Whatever your child’s age there is a deck for it, up to at least 9 years! I’ve talked about the Baby deck before. (I deleted that review to combine it with this review, to have one long review, instead of several small ones. ) Blu as a baby loved any activity I tried from the Baby deck, and as he has grown he loves activities from the Age 1 deck too! These decks of cards are just fab for parents, nannies, grandparents, teachers, and anyone else who works with kids. Each deck is 52 cards, and each card contains at least one idea. The baby deck is divided into age appropriate categories, with different ideas for a child nearing one then for a new born. The older child decks feature the same idea of small activities, but so often to a young child a small activity can fill an afternoon.

Most of the ideas in the baby deck are not all that different, but a lot of them are like “Oh Duh!“ to a parents busy mind. We all know as parents that your brain just isn’t what it used to be, and especially when your child is fussy and needs some excitement! That’s when you grab the deck to find an activity. The cards take all the good quick ideas and make them into one easy to use deck of cards. The older ages feature lots of great ideas, including several I never would have thought of.

Each card features an illustration on one side, and the activity description on the other. I’d suggest letting older kids pick the activity by looking at the pictures, or involve older siblings by letting them pick an activity for baby or younger child.

The decks are $9.95 each, and are honestly so worth it. I highly recommend making it part of the routine, both daily, and for birthdays. Celebrate a new baby with baby deck, and have the age one deck be a birthday gift. The quick activities are perfect for daily games and are so easy to pick through. I often pick one while standing over the oven waiting to flip the grilled cheese. It’s so easy, make lunch and pick out an after lunch activity at the same time. The cards rarely call for anything you don’t already have laying around. The strangest thing I’ve seen them call for is a big bag of cornmeal, and that’s readily available at
any grocery store. The decks are small (just slightly larger then average playing cards) so you can easily tuck the stack (or even just a few) just about anywhere. Have a box in the diaper bag, the glove box, the kitchen cabinet, anywhere you tend to need to keep someone busy.

Available at Pal Toys website but also at some select toy stores, baby/kid boutiques, school supply stores, and even a few bookstores.

In classic Baby Joys fashion we‘re giving some away! We have 6 sets of Preschool decks that need new homes! Just reply to this post with who you’ll be using the activities for (kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, neighborhood kids, etc) no need for personal details, and MOST IMPORTANTLY your email address. Your email MUST be in your post to win. You can do the spam free myaddress AT email DOT com. You will not be added to any kind of mailing list. I simply need the emails to contact the winner. Enter to win before May 1st, and winners will be picked and announced by the 5th.

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