The latest and greatest in gadgets, gear and goodies
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We could take all the good luck that we could get, so when it comes to St. Patty’s Day, with a kid who believes in the magic of leprechauns and the belief that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, what do you do? We make our own pot of gold
In our house, pajamas are a big deal. Biggie and I are all about comfy pjs. In fact, Jack won’t wear pjs if they don’t match or if they’re too scratchy. So, I always make it a point to buy pjs that meet our stringent requirements: comfy, durable, but also cool. And when I say cool, I mean pjs not emblazoned with trains and obscure designs.
Just like our hand-me-downs from TCP, baby’s latest selections are durable, fun and will withstand a toddler’s messy, rough-and-tumble day. I love the grippy footies on the sleepers which are convenient for my not-quite walking tot.
The Children’s Place kindly sent us a giftcard to facilitate this review, but as always, opinions are my own.
Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope your day has been filled with lots of love and heart-shaped goodies!
Just in time for an afternoon snack or a quick dessert, I thought I’d share a fun snack that we created for biggie’s class party.
Since everything is typically heart-shaped for Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be fun to pay homage to Cupid and make fruit kabobs reminiscent of his arrows.
Who doesn’t love food on a stick? And since it’s fruit, it’s basically like candy, right?
Ingredients for this crafty snack are simple. All you need are strawberries, blueberries or raspberries, Popsicle sticks and craft tape.
Craft tape is my new favorite go-to medium. More versatile than glue, craft tape seals and can act as decor—like in these arrows! I simply cut four smallish pieces to position them on one end of the Popsicle stick to look like the tail of an arrow.
The tail anchors the fruit and then you can start piercing the fruit. Pierce 3 or 4 pieces of the smaller fruit for the body of the arrow. For the arrowhead, simply cut off the top of a strawberry and pierce it to the end. The strawberry is already a triangle shape, but you can also half the berry or cut to make sharper edges.
And there you have it! With just a little bit of craft tape, a stick and some fruit, you can continue the Valentine’s Day conversation after the class party is over!
Happy Heart’s Day and enjoy!
Prince Lionheart recently added the bebePod Basix to its line of baby and kid products. With a safety belt and chair harness, this plastic infant seat/booster seat combo provides a multi-function seating solution for babies. The seatbelt and chair harness give this seat added security to prop baby up onto a chair for feeding time, offering a viable alternative for a high chair, which is often known to monopolize precious kitchen space.
The seat is a basic plastic seat that provides just enough back support and form in the front and sides to help even babies who aren’t quite sitting yet the opportunity to sit upright for dinner.
We’ve been testing out this seat for a few weeks now, and it hasn’t been until recently where we’ve actually been able to enjoy it. Baby’s muscle tone seems low and he can’t quite sit up on his own yet, so the bebePod Basix helped him sit upright and enjoy playtime from a different angle. We have two high wooden highchairs that I’ve talked about in the past, so we never really had a need for a booster seat, except when we travel. But what I love about this seat, is that it can be used anywhere, just as Prince Lionheart suggests. We’ve enjoyed using it while Biggie and I are in the playroom, as well as outside while we’re playing outside.
It’s a versatile infant seat and booster, and one that is a better option than foam seats that have been in the news for yet another recall.
Speaking of that recall, I wanted the uproar to simmer a bit before sharing my two cents. The thing is, it’s not always parents using a seat incorrectly. Sometimes, it’s just the way it is…
(coming soon! Im having wifi issues, so I’ll upload this as soon as I can!) Here are my thoughts on a vlog I did today on the bebePod Basix. I’m going to try to share my thoughts more regularly on products, parenting and beyond—all while baby is napping. So, here’s my first installment of Nap Chat:
Last month, the Kid and I enjoyed a unique opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal for a concert that the family pop group, Laughing Pizza, were filming for a TV special.
Filmed at Scholastic’s Soho theater, the TV special was emceed by one of my favorite NYC celeb chefs, Todd English and his articulate son, Simon.
The talented and affable trio, the Laughing Pizzas, are probably best known for their appearances in and around Atlanta, as well as shows like the Today Show and CNN. But it’s the chemistry and likability of this mother-father-daughter group that everyone should know about.
Their moves are as vibrant as their pop-centric costumes, and their personalities are as unique as their musicality. Mom (Lisa), dad (Billy) and daughter (Emily) all have a gift for music, and to see it all mesh together as a family is something special, especially when shared with your own family. I was most amazed at the daughter, Emily’s, stage presence and fluidity with various instruments. With so many pop stars’ talent focused on presence and image these days, it’s a rarity to see young musicians play multiple instruments on stage and still sing and dance, while relaying positive messages.
I don’t have much information yet about when everyone can view the filmed concert, but I have a ton of photos and a few videos to share. It was an hour packed of fun songs, interactive dances with the Laughing Pizzas, not to mention special appearances with African drummers, a Juilliard string trio, and amazing kid dancers from the Broadway Dance Center.
For now, check out this quick video I filmed which was part of the performance.
One of my favorite parts of Fall are the cozy fall clothes—even better, new fall clothes. With kids constantly growing out of clothes, I’m certainly grateful for the affordable trend mecca that is H&M. For my first few years in NYC, my wardrobe would have never survived the Saks and Barney’s demanding business world. Once the kid came along, H&M Kids balanced out all the gifted puppy dog and choo choo train onesies with their modern and cute designs.
On whim today, I popped into H&M to check out their amazing fall sale and stumbled upon the Tuesday Trouser Sale. It turns out, H&M is in the middle of celebrating their 10 years in the U.S. with 10 one-day sales. Today’s sale, impeccably, were these awesome boys’ pants. Thank goodness for H&M for bolstering the boy’s pant wardrobe beyond khakis and jeans.
Check out the remainder of H&M’s sales leading up to 10.10.10! I have my eye on this adorable girl’s dress for gifts. A cute $5 dress? Yes, please!
Happy 10 Years to H&M!
Music, ultimately, is one of the kid’s favorite things. He loves to beatbox (thanks, Biz Markie) and like many preschoolers, he turns any conversation into a song. He plays his guitars to any song or show; anything and everything is a drumset; he has a quirky fondness for banjos and plays his harmonica even before eating breakfast. And along with his love for music, we’re big on educational shows, especially ones with awesome musical segments.
One show in particular, The Electric Company, is one that we watch together almost non-stop. I loved the show growing up, and so, this is definitely a show that I hoped the kid would love just as well. I just didn’t expect him to fall in love with this show at 
just two years old. But, understandably, much of that has to do with our meet and greet with The Electric Company last year. (more on that later!)
Geared to school-aged kids, The Electric Company, was originally produced by Children’s Television Workshop (now called Sesame Workshop,) back in the 1970s. The show ceased production in the late 1970s, but I remember watching reruns as a kid in the early 80s. In 2009, the Sesame Workshop revived the series with a cast of fresh faces, complete with a modern and funky edge to it. For the school aged set, the Electric Company’s website is one worth checking out. It’s really no surprise that their site, like the show, has garnered several awards.
As I mentioned, the kid loves The Electric Company. Perhaps he doesn’t know about punctuation or prefixes yet, but he does, however, have a little crush that keeps him watching. One of the main characters of the show, Priscilla Diaz, known as Jessica on the show, is a super-talented singer, rapper and actress that’s caught the eye of my little guy. The kid is smitten. 
His favorite episode has a cute segment where a variety of characters are pushing muffins on Jessica. A catchy line from the episode, “Have a Muffin, Jessica,” is echoed in our home at least 10 times a day. And speaking of catchy, if you knew the show back in the 70s and 80s, then you’ll be glad to know that the popular catchphrase, “Heyyyyy yooooooou guyyyyysssss!” is still alive and well in the new(er) Electric Company.
Just as The Electric Company was wrapping their third season of taping the other week, a few bloggers and members of the media were invited to the set to sit in on a taping of a music video with the band Good Charlotte. The song they recorded was funny and memorable, one that I’m sure that bigger kids would appreciate. We had a great time watching Joel and Benji Madden record their video, and even had a chance to ask Benji a few questions!
We’re on our way to a different event at Sesame Workshop today, but I wanted to share a teaser about the kid’s love for the Electric Company. Stay tuned for the interview and a video of the video! In the meantime, check out my photostream from the event!
I usually keep my musings on motherhood on my personal blog, Babyrific, but I think the event that I attended today is one that so many moms would find of interest. So, here’s a re-post of my latest entry from Babyrific:
Lots of cool stuff going on today–actually all of this week. As I’ve mentioned and tweeted about frequently, as a blogger and writer, I’m often asked to attend cool events. Today’s event is a rather cool one, and one that I’ve spoken about candidly, but have treaded lightly for reasons I’ll explain below.
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For those with history buffs or Indiana Jones wanna-be’s, Playmobil has a really cool line of toys inspired by Ancient Eygpt. At the Holiday Showcase, I had the chance to check out Playmobil’s Pyramid, part of the Egyptian line of playsets.
The pyramid features trap doors, revolving secret chambers, hidden vaults, secret passageways, just to name a few. With its removable pyramid walls, kids can hunt for the secret treasure chamber and explore the pyramid’s many features. Playmobil’s Pyramid is unique and interesting, especially for those who love adventures and history-influenced toys. The pyramid set includes four figures, tomb and many more accessories. Like many of Playmobil’s playsets, there are other play sets and add ons in the Eygpt line, including: Royal Ship of Egypt, Egyptian Chariot, Pharaoh’s Temple, Tomb with Treasures and Sphinx with Mummy.
These toy sets are suggested for 3 and up, but because of all the smaller pieces, I think it’s best suited for the 5-8 age range. Like any well made play set, the Pyramid is in a higher pricepoint. Having checked it out in person and making notes to myself about how impressed I was about this award-winning playset, I’d say it’s worth the $100 range for a set that detailed and intricate. The add ons and smaller sets run from 7.99 and up.
Yesterday, I had the unique opportunity to attend the Time to Play holiday showcase, an event that highlighted some of the latest innovative and noteworthy toys. In good company with many influential bloggers and online media representatives, I was fortunate to meet and connect with a lot of toy publicists and execs to hear all about the latest and greatest goodies for kids. Quite simply, it was toy heaven. Can this really be considered work?
I seriously can’t wait to talk about my finds and share all about some of the products that will definitely be creating lots of buzz. But for now, check out Time to Play’s picks for the top must-have toys for this holiday season!
Stay tuned for more!