Appaman AVONE Collection

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

School shopping…what? already? It’s hard to believe that it’s not even August yet and store shelves and racks have been filled with a plethora of school supplies and the latest threads for weeks. Yeah, weeks.

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I’m in the process of preparing a Back to School shopping guide that I’ll post in a few weeks, but until then, check out this recently launched collection from Appaman. Paying an homage to art and using their clothing as canvases, Appaman introduced the first collection of what they’ve dubbed, “wearable art capsule.”


The first collection features AVONE, a renowned NYC graffitti artist. Each piece in the collection has imagery photographed by AVONE and is tagged with his signature. AVONE and Appaman produced a four piece capsule collection for boys consisting of three long sleeve tees ($32) and a hoodie ($52). With their edgy, unique and cool tagged-inspired designs in the AVONE collection, I can’t wait to see what other artistic brilliance Appaman has up their sleeves. Or should I say on their sleeves.

Appaman clothing can be found online and in various retail locations.

Cybex Strollers Arrive in the U.S.

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

cybexHere’s a head’s up for you stroller aficionados:  the European brand, Cybex, is making its grand entrance onto the U.S. and Canadian markets.  The high-end strollers look both stylish and functional with its distinctive, bold colors and clean lines.  These umbrella-style strollers are described as being lightweight and travel-friendly, with easy maneuvering and quick-fold function.  Cybex strollers come in the Ruby, Onyx, Topaz and Callisto designs and based on their different functionalities, range from $140-350.

Always one to admire stylish but durable strollers, I’m particularly excited about this cybex-callisto-indigonew line.  Though I have yet to check out these strollers in person, I love the sleek design and the way the stroller seat is higher off the ground than other umbrella strollers.  My favorite of the group, the Callisto, seems versatile and multi-faceted with its various features; it touts a pram function, comfort suspension and a one-pull harness system.  I’d be interested to see how these strollers really withstand city streets and everyday use, which is obviously paramount for families like us.  I love the way the vibrant colors contrast with the light-colored frame. The design is a definite head-turner and reflects its German influence; compared to the umbrella strollers already on the market, Cybex could be the Volkswagen of strollers…or maybe even BMW.

Cybex strollers will be available on August 1st at select retailers.  The Cybex baby carrier will be available later this year as well.  If I ever have a chance to test drive these strollers, I’ll be sure to report back!

Spotted at BlogHer

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

While at BlogHer, I had the chance to peruse the Expo floor a few times. The Expo floor was basically a trade show for women bloggers that featured products to be used in the kitchen to spiffy vacuums to gold kiwis (based on Tweets, seemed like the belle of the ball!) and of course, the latest and greatest kids’ products.
Lucky me, I got to check out a few products that I’ve blogged about here on NKT.

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I took a look at the Complete Air Car Seat that features Safety 1st’s new Air Protect technology. As I envisioned, it’s a sleek-looking car seat that has the hard-to-miss side head cushions. The pictures of this car seat certainly don’t do it any justice, especially the cool brown and orange colored Complete Air car seat which first caught my attention. I liked that it’s not a huge seat, like the one we currently own. This car seat has definitely piqued my interest!

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I also spotted the Disney Netpal, the kid-friendly laptop that I blogged about last month. Again, it was much cooler in person.  It’s as petite as I imagined, but not overly kiddie-centric at all. The rep. at the booth walked me through a lot of its functions and reiterated its kid-friendliness.  After speaking to her, I was sold; I actually want one for myself, now :)  At $350, I thought it was a decent deal for what you get.  At this day and age, electronics, especially ones that are educational and functional for school-aged kids, are a great, if not imperative, investment.

Safe Baby, safe baby 1,2,3…

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Even though summer is in full swing and I’ve already raved about one of our favorite sunscreens, I thought I’d share another great sunscreen that I had the chance to try out.
safebabySafe Baby, which is part of Skin by Monica Olsen line, is a paraben-free, waterproof sunscreen with SPF 50. Monica Olsen, a former model, but more importantly, a conscientious mama like many of us, was in search of natural baby products that she liked. Since she couldn’t find anything that she felt comfortable using on her new babe, she decided to create her own line.
Safe Baby contains organic flower extracts, vitamins and doesn’t use any harsh chemicals such as alcohol. Who’d want those nasty, harsh chemicals irritating baby’s skin anyway?

I love the way Safe Baby applies; it’s not too thick or overpowering, like other sunscreens I’ve tried in the past. The scent, at first, I thought was a bit too flowery for my taste, but it dissipated and became a subtle, sweet scent once applied. As a mama with a fair-skinned babe, I like that it’s SPF 50, too. Again, like most natural products, Safe Baby is a bit pricier than I’d like to pay. There are a few ingredients listed that I can’t pronounce, and perhaps because it’s newer, I couldn’t find these products in the Cosmetic Database yet. But after a day in the sun, Safe Baby worked wonderfully and didn’t leave everything greasy or stained.

Safe Baby is worth checking out. It’s a great alternative to the chemical laden sunscreens and good option for a more natural and safe sunscreen. If you’re in the NYC area, SKIN by Monica Olsen is available at Duane Reade. Safe Baby is also available at other stores, as well as online.

Want Safe Baby for yourself?

Tell me another product in the Skin by Monica Olsen line and comment below!

For extra entries, feel free to share this product via Twitter, Facebook or any other social networking site.

Back to business

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

img_3047So sorry everyone for the extended absence here on NKT.  Last week was probably the busiest and craziest week for me since leaving my job last October.  I’ve been out of town basically since last Wednesday, and I’m just finally catching up and getting back into the swing of things.

Wednesday and Thursday morning we were busy focusing on family events, and then Thursday evening-Saturday, I was busy with the events at BlogHer ’09 in Chicago.   I came away with so many fun memories and learned a ton of great ideas and perspectives.

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Funky Kidz Cd giveaway winner

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Congrats to Stephanie for winning last week’s Music Monday cd giveaway! When you have a chance Steph, can you please email your address to jen [at] nextkidthing [dot] com.
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Thank you to everyone for participating in the giveaways and for participating on the site.  Becuase of you, I’m able to continue to have FREE giveaways.  Well, free to you, but not always for me.  As a general reminder, I ship most of these giveways out on my own, with very little resources.  I’m just trying to share the great goodies that I get, so, please bear with me on the shipping timeframe.  It could take as little as a few days, but as long as several weeks.  Thanks so much for understanding!

Under the Sea with Jimi Rock

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s no surprise, really, that online entertainment and education, especially the virtual world segment, has grown at an exponential pace over the last few years. In fact, according to research, over the course of 2008, an estimated 8 million teen and pre-teen kids in the U.S. visited virtual worlds on a regular basis.

One virtual world that I’ve become a fan of, after learning about it from the Go Green Expo this spring is, Jimi Rock Under the Sea Adventures. It brings a whole new perspective to education and exploration, with its emphasis on marine biology and environmentalism. Featuring a kid-friendly interface with vivid graphics, this virtual world has so many interesting and educational facets where school-aged kids can play games, take interactive quizzes, chat with friends create art and even learn about interesting new places and sea creatures.

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Follow history on We Choose the Moon

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

History and humanity was forever changed on July 20, 1969: today marks the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon.  In honor of the anniversary of when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of Lunar Module 5 (known as Eagle) onto the moon’s surface, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum launched the interactive website, WeChooseTheMoon.org.

moonWeChooseTheMoon.org, which went live on July 16, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. and took off at 9:32 a.m. – exactly 40 years to the minute after the historic launch is recreating the Apollo 11’s lunar mission, using archival audio, video, photos and real-time transmissions on the site and via Twitter.

Twitter Feeds to Follow
Apollo 11 to Houston = AP11_Spacecraft
Houston to Apollo 11= AP11_Capcom
Eagle to Houston & Columbia = AP11_Eagle

In honor of the 40th anniversary, be sure to check out the cool interactive site that’s powered by AOL and commemorates that “giant leap for mankind.” It’s a great educational resource for big kids, especially since it incorporates history and current technology.  I’ve been on it all morning, and the graphics are transmission feed is incredible!

Giveaway winners

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

TruKid Sunblock sticks- Brandy, Kim and Melissa, please email your address at jen [at] nextkidthing [dot] com!
Kooky flash drive- Melissa, congrats! Brett, you’ve got some fuzzy slippers coming your way.
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Everyone else, thanks for participating as usual. Also, I’ll announce last week’s cd winner once I post the next Music Monday. Also, I’m busy writing up a slew up articles AND really great giveaways in honor of my trip to BlogHer this week, so stay tuned!!!