The Shopping Mama

Top Rated Duck Duck Moose Apps 50% off (Ends Today 12/21)

by Malia on December 21st, 2011 | 5 Comments | Holiday Toys, Shopping

Have a toddler getting an iTouch or iPad (I sure hope he’s at least sharing it with siblings) this Christmas? Or just want to keep him busy while you try to check one of your two million items off your to-do list? Then I highly recommend one of Duck Duck Moose’s great apps like Wheels on the Bus or Itsy Bitsy Spider. There are many more apps, but so far these are the favorite in our house. Little man likes to make the motions to Itsy for daddy on Skype while the app sings (saves everyone from mama’s singing).

These interactive apps are fun (even for mama, at least the first 100 times), educational, and ~~the music doesn’t make you want poke your eye out~~ they have good music with options for various languages and male/female voices or instrument only (options may vary by app).

Shop! Duck Duck Moose Apps are available for iPhone, iPad and Android for $1.99 each. All apps are 50% off for their holiday sale, but it ends today (12/21) so SHOP NOW! (They are still worth it at full price if you miss the sale.)

What I Wore {28 Weeks}

by Kate on December 21st, 2011 | 5 Comments | Fashion & Beauty, Life, What I Wore

We are already in holiday vacation mode, which means I wore “travel clothes” all weekend and only have one decent outfit photographed to share this week. But, it’s a good one, if I do say so myself – very basic and very me.

Shirt: Tea Collection Modernista Tee – no longer available, kind of like this one
Jeans: Motherhood – that crazy below the waist kind with no blue belly band
Necklace: Jillian Aubrey Designs

***

The 28 week milestone means it’s also time for my monthly belly photo with Sticky Bellies. So, here you go… 28 week belly!

And then my daughter got in on the fun. She claims to be pregnant with a baby girl named Rosie, so it’s only fitting she show her belly, too.

To join in the fun, head over to The Pleated Poppy blog. If you post about What You Wore, leave a comment with link so I can check it out.

Holiday Gift Ideas for the New Mom

by Malia on December 20th, 2011 | 5 Comments | For Mama, Holiday, Shopping

As the sleep deprived mother of a two week old baby and a 22 month old toddler, I am going to declare myself very qualified to write about ~~what I want~~ what new moms really want for Christmas. (Hint, it’s not gifts for baby with mama’s name on it. Don’t get me wrong, we love nice things for baby, but don’t pretend they are for us. Baby is already the boss of EVERYTHING right now, she shouldn’t get to take our Christmas gifts too.)

A Pedicure ($30 plus): I don’t care if it’s so cold where you live that anything less than wool socks and boots results in frostbite, after several months of not being able to reach her toes, every new mom needs a pedicure (or at least a few hours to herself to trim, buff and polish). High budget: get her the full spa treatment with hot rock massage, parfin wax treatment, and salt scrub. Tight budget: pick up a hip color and keep the kids out of her hair for an hour or two. (photo: dailyglow.com)

Origins Gloomaway Grapefruit Body-Buffing Cleanser ($22): A good body scrub is about the most wonderful thing after returning to a (relatively) normal body. I love the bright citrus scent of the Origins Gloomaway Scrub and it always gives me a mental boost, but pick a scent your New Mama loves.

Diamond Locket ($295): A new mom totally needs something like this diamond locket to keep a photo of her new baby close to her heart.

Clarisonic Mia ($119): There’s nothing like sleep deprivation to remind a woman that she isn’t 15 anymore. The Clarisonic face cleansing system removes the dulling layer of surface skin cells, making skin look younger, healthier and reducing appearance of pore size and acne. It may not be as good as eight hours of sleep, but it will help mama look and feel younger.

A House Cleaning (varies): Any help around the house after a new baby is awesome. Take a few minutes to empty the dishwasher or fold a few (hundred) loads of laundry. Heck, even make out one of those ~~cheesy~~ classic homemade “coupons” for a house cleaning. Or go all out and hire a professional to scrub her house, steam clean the carpets, and empty that dang dishwasher.

Happy Shopping!

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas: Favorite Children’s Books of 2011

by Kate on December 19th, 2011 | 5 Comments | Shopping

If, like us, you’re still shopping for Christmas we have some very affordable and last minute gift ideas for you: great children’s books! These are a few of our favorites from 2011. Make sure you’re registered for Amazon Mom so you can get 2-day shipping for free or hit your local book store.

A Zeal of Zebras by Woop Studios ($12.23). From a creative studio who worked on the Harry Potter movies, A Zeal of Zebras is an alphabet book that highlights the noun for a group of animals. I certainly learned a new work – or 26 – while reading this design-inspired animal book.

The Crown on Your Head by Nancy Tillman ($8.49). Tillman is one of our favorite children’s author so we have high expectations for new books. The Crown on Your Head exceeded our expectations. It’s a visually attractive book, but the message is even more beautiful. The idea is that every child is born with a crown on her head, representing what makes her unique and special.

Razzle-Dazzle Ruby by Masha D’yans ($12.23). Taking pop-up books to a new level, Razzle-Dazzle Ruby will delight and dazzle even discerning little readers. Read Shannon’s Razzle-Dazzle Ruby review for more details.

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Dunskey Rinker ($10.19). What fun for truck-loving kids! As night falls, we say goodnight to trucks, mixers and other working rigs on the construction site. This is a sweet book to read aloud with rhymes and rhythm, perfect for settling down to say good night.

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle ($10.79). New book by Eric Carle. Enough said.

Shop! All of these books are available in The Shopping Mama’s Books We Love Right Now store – along with more than 30 other recommendations. Shop now to receive in time for Christmas.

Egg Press and Blue Sky Team Up for 2012 Calendar & Planner Collection

by Laura on December 19th, 2011 | 5 Comments | For Mama, Reviews

I live – and I mean LIVE – by my Outlook calendar. Without my pre-programmed alerts, I wouldn’t know where I had to be at any one moment in time. However, after enduring city-wide blackouts and server crashes that delayed work for days, I have maintained a handwritten backup for the last few years. Just this week, a server failure at work had us without email or calendar access for a full 24 hours. (Anything more than an hour is just cruel and unusual punishment, in my opinion.) I was the only member of the office who was able to refer to her trusty hand-held planner in order to see what was on the calendar for the day and to schedule appointments for future dates.

One of my favorite things to do in preparation for a new year is to buy my new planner and calendars. This year, I’ll be writing in a brand new Weekly & Monthly calendar from Egg Press and Blue Sky, available at Target and on Blue Sky’s website. These planners are full-size, but the best part is that they feature a full month calendar for each month, followed by a week at a glance. It will be perfect for writing down appointments and then recording the notes I make in preparation for each appointment. Blue Sky also sent me some smaller planners and a wall calendar, all of which prove to be useful, even in our technology-driven environment.

The Garden Weekly/Monthly Calendar

About Egg Press and Blue Sky

Egg Press, an early pioneer in the resurgence of letterpress stationery, is known for its expressive patterns and charming illustrations. This updated collection features abstract and modern botanical designs in fresh colors, reflecting a creative spirit.

Blue Sky, The Color of Imagination, is a consumer products company based in Tustin, California, which offers functional and stylish Planning, Note-taking and Business Accessory products.

Organized and Stylish?!?

I’m usually not a fan of flowery patterns , but the abstract flower patterns on this collection make an old-fashioned item feel fresh and young. I also love that the planners have covers that are plastic and/or vinyl, since I have a nasty habit of spilling water on my desk at the most inopportune moments. Also, the list of holidays on the last page of the larger monthly and weekly planner will definitely come in handy when I start the new year by neatly noting each holiday, birthday, and vacation week in the new planner. I can even foresee using one of the smaller planners as a backup for my personal calendar and important contacts that are normally kept within my iPhone.

The smaller purse-sized planner from Egg Press and Blue Sky, with durable aqua cover.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… At under $20 for even the largest planner, these items are reasonably priced whether you rely on your written calendar or just like to have it as back-up support for an electronic device.

Not to Buy… Even if you keep track of your day in digital format, computers aren’t perfect and usually fail us at the times when we need them the most, so there’s no reason not to buy one of these planners!

Shop! Find the collaboration between Egg Press and Blue Sky at Target stores, and online at Target.com and Blue Sky.

I received samples to facilitate this review.

Free Shipping Day!

by Kate on December 16th, 2011 | 5 Comments | Shopping

It’s Free Shipping Day! Here’s a list of some participating stores as well as special deals and discounts – many are valid today only. Happy shopping!

Great for Kids

The Land of Nod: 15% off all Toys with code OHWHATFUN.

Company Kids: Take 15% off your order with code XK15OFF.

Melissa & Doug: Free Shipping (guaranteed Christmas delivery) with code FREESHIPZERO.

The Disney Store: Free Shipping on all orders.

Pottery Barn Kids: Free Shipping on all orders with code FREESHIP.

Stride Rite: Free Shipping.

Umi Shoes: Free Shipping and up to 40% off Clearance and 20% off all shoes with code CLRFW11.

Chasing Fireflies: Free 3-Day Shipping upgrade with orders over $50.

Clothes

Lands’ End: 40% off your order with Free Shipping with code DONNER and pin 1585.

JCrew - 30% off and Free Shipping on all orders.

Express - Free Shipping plus 30% of all orders, plus $25 off orders of $100 or more.

Hanna Andersson: Save Up to 60% during Hanna’s Big Big Twice A Year Sale. (Ends January 1.)

Ann Taylor - Free Shipping and 40% off your order.

Gap - Free Shipping and 20% off your order with code GAPCHEER.

Macy’s: Extra 20% off and Free Shipping with code SAVEMORE.

Rosie Pope Maternity: 25% off and Free Shipping with code HOLIDAY11.

Tea Collection: 3-Day Shipping for the price of Ground Shipping. Free on orders over $150, $7 on all other orders.

Accessories & Gifts

Ice.com - $25 off and Free Shipping on all orders.

eBags - 20% off and Free Shipping on all orders.

Shoes.com - 20% off and Free Shipping on all orders.

The Body Shop: Free Shipping on any order.

Crocs: Free 3-Day Shipping on orders over $75 with code FSDAY.

Minted: Free upgrade to 2-Day Shipping on orders of $45 or more with code GIVE45. Free 2-Day Shipping on orders of $75 or more with code GIVE75.

Vera Bradley: Free Shipping on orders of $50 or more.

Petunia Pickle Bottom: Spend $75 and get free upgrade for 2-day shipping with code CHEERS.

momAgenda: Free Shipping on orders of $40 or more.

This post contains affiliate links.

New Winter Crocs Shoes and Boots for Kids {Review}

by Kate on December 16th, 2011 | 5 Comments | Clothes, Reviews

We definitely associate Crocs with summer shoes, but the new collection of winter shoes and boots gives reason to re-consider that stereotype. The collection is full of shoes that will keep little feet warm and maintain some great style that moms will love. We’ve had the shoes for a few weeks now and, well, the Alabama weather just isn’t fully cooperating. That, however, has not stopped me from sending my kids to school and out to play in their winter Crocs. I just love them!

Chameleons Crocband Gust Boot

Crocs didn’t want summer shoes to have all the Crocs Chameleon fun. They’ve brought the cool color-changing technology to new boots perfect for winter. The Crocband accent on the Chameleons Gust Boot changes color in cold temperatures.

Bring on winter, chilly temps, and more color-changing fun from Crocs. Our Crocs Chameleons™ Gust Boot has a midsole band that changes color below 50°. It’s like magic!

My daughter has been wearing the Chameleons Crocband Gust Boot. I love the look of this boot! It’s so sharp and screams winter. The inside is lined in a sweatshirt material – in a super fun colorful design, no less – and the outside will hold up to cool, moist weather. One of the hardest things about boots on little kids is that they can be heavy and difficult to walk in, but the Gust Boot sole is made of Croslite material that won’t slow down your little one’s movement. Of course, your kids will love the Chameleon feature – the Crocband around the bottom changes from light pink to red in temperatures under 50 degrees. (I don’t have a picture of that because, well, we haven’t experienced it much during the day.)

Dawson Boot

Send kids off to school with unbeatable comfort and style. The Dawson Boot Kids features all the comfort of our traditional Crocs™ shoes with suede upper, easy-on-and-off zipper entry, and lined foot bed for lightweight comfort and warmth.

The Dawson Boot is an extremely versatile shoe for kids. My son has worn the shoes for school and play and he likes them almost as much as I do. I love the look of the shoe and that there’s a zipper for easy-on and easy-off. We’ve received a lot of compliments on these shoes, including a teacher at my son’s school complimenting him on his cool boots. His reply? “They’re Crocs! Look, you can even see the little crocodile on them,” as he pulled up his pant leg. His teacher was impressed and I was oddly proud.

In addition to being stylish, the Dawson is functional. The upper suede is water-resistant and the foot area is lined for warmth. Just as with the Gust Boot, the Dawson features the Croslite technology making for a very lightweight shoe. The shoe is so light, flexible and easy to wear, in fact, that my son climbs trees wearing them.

While the weather hasn’t exactly been winter-y here, our Crocs boots did make a trip to the North Pole on my kids’ feet via the North Pole Express!

Crocs Gifts for Kids

From shoes to boots to adorable hats, Crocs has a gift guide for kids worth a look.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… We are loving the new winter shoes from Crocs. The shoes look great, are built to keep feet warm and comfortable and are easy for kids to wear and play. We’ve always had a great experience with Crocs shoes which tells me that these shoes will last and survive several hand-me-downs.

Or Not to Buy… We haven’t been able to test the Chameleons feature. I’ll let you know how they look when we travel up north for the holidays!

Shop! The Chameleons Crocband Gust Boot is available in pink or navy for $49.99. The Dawson Boot is available in pink, brown or black for $39.99.

Thanks to Crocs for providing samples for the purpose of this review. As always, opinions are my own.

TheFind & Catalogue Apps Make Holiday Shopping a Breeze

by Kate on December 15th, 2011 | 5 Comments | Shopping

Just in time for last minute holiday shopping, we’re hear to share news of two awesome apps from TheFind. Whether you have an iPhone, iPad or Android, TheFind’s mobile shopping app and TheFind’s Catalogue app for tablet have you covered. Indeed, “TheFind’s mission is to help every shopper find exactly what they want to buy,” and its achieved through FREE easy to use apps that provide real results.

TheFind’s Catalogue App for iPad or Android

This free app reimagines the traditional catalog shopping experience, offering more than 220 interactive catalogs from favorite retailers including Crate & Barrel, Saks, Sephora, J.Crew, Net-a-Porter and Lego
For the holidays, TheFind brings you these great catalogs and more – plus a digital version of the Best Buy circular so you can shop those deep discounts right on your tablet
Flip through catalog pages with a simple swipe, save stuff you like with a quick tap and purchase favorite items on the spot
Use Facebook “Tear-and-Share” to simply share a favorite item – or entire page – in any catalog with your friends via email or Facebook

The first thing you’ll notice about Catalogue? Eye candy. It’s like a shopper’s dream to have loads of catalogues all in one location with nary a piece of paper wasted. I’ve had a great time browsing the available catalogues, adding stores and items to my favorites lists and discovering new finds I wouldn’t have otherwise located. I’ve loved checking out the catalog version Holiday Gift Guides from some of my favorite stores like Crate & Barrel, One Step Ahead and Sephora. I love browsing catalogues and it’s never been easier – or greener – than with the Catalogue app.

The Catalogue app one-ups traditional paper catalogs, though, because you can shop directly from your tablet. With a few swipes you can purchase your find from the merchant. I love this as I feel like I often discover some great finds in catalogs but never get around to actually searching for them on the internet.

TheFind’s Mobile App

TheFind crawls the entire Web and with it’s patented search technology helps shoppers discover everything that online shopping, local shopping, and green shopping have to offer. Over 320 million products from more than 500,000 stores and online merchants are currently universally accessible through TheFind.com, TheFind Mobile, and TheFind iPhone App.

TheFind makes shopping more efficient. enabling shoppers to find sales, online coupons, green brands or local stores. all within a single user experience.

Shopping Challenge

TheFind challenged me to do some holiday shopping via their mobile apps. I found myself using TheFind app on my iPhone more often than the Catalogue application on my iPad. I chalk that up to the fact that I always have my iPhone with me, but do not always have my iPad. The functions and usefulness of each app are different, too, and the combination complements all your shopping needs well. But, in any case, as I said I used TheFind app more. Here are some examples of how I used it.

LeapPad Location. Given that its one of the hottest toys for the holiday season, the first thing I searched for using TheFind was the LeapFrog LeapPad. I’m not getting one for my kids this year, but I know lots of friends who are and who are having trouble finding one. I wanted to see if I could find a good price online or find a local store with them in stock. I searched using TheFind.com and discovered a local Sears was selling them in store and at retail value. After a few quick phone calls, I hooked up a friend whose daughter will be getting the LeapPad under the tree this year. Score 1 for TheFind!

Comparison Shopping. One of the coolest features of TheFind app is the bar code scanner. I’m sorry, but using my iPhone to scan an item at the store will never get old. I just think it’s so cool.

So, the other day at Target I scanned a few items to get price comparisons at local retailers. When you search TheFind you can do a general web search or search local brick and mortar stores. This is a great feature for running around doing last minute Christmas shopping when waiting for shipping just won’t do. I scanned this baby swing to get some price comparisons and TheFind identified local stores with the lowest prices. Turns out, there was a coupon available to mark the price down at Target, but it was available cheaper at a different local store.

Gift for My Husband. While on the same trip to Target, I actually thought of something I wanted to get my husband for Christmas. I can’t give you the details because he reads and I actually want him to be surprised. (Assuming, of course, my son hasn’t led him directly to the box he helped me hide.) But, I did a general search on TheFind for the thing I wanted to buy – no brand name, nothing specific – and then checked out the Local results. Turns out there was a great priced item right in Target. Another BIG score for TheFind!

Download! Consider TheFind FREE apps your shopping teammates this holiday season. Catalogue 2.0 from TheFind is available for FREE download in the App store, Android Market or Amazon app market. Shopping by TheFind is also available for FREE download from the App store.