The Shopping Mama

ShooShoos Clearance Sale

by Kate on February 29th, 2012 | 5 Comments | Shopping

ShooShoos is one of our very favorite brands for baby shoes. Indeed, we named ShooShoos the best soft soled baby shoes of those we tested in 2011. They are well worth the price when you pay full price so we jump at the chance to stock up on these shoes when they’re on sale. And, there’s a GREAT clearance sale going on right now.

Clearance Sale Details

Buy one pair of soft sole shoes for $19.95 or one pair of Smiley sole shoes (for walking tots) for $27.95 and you can get up to 3 clearance style shoes for only $9.95 a pair.

There are so many great styles included in the Clearance Sale. Here’s just a portion of the fabulous baby shoes you’ll find on sale.

Why, oh, why have I not had this baby yet?! Mama wants to buy some new pairs of baby shoes!

Shop! Hurry! The ShooShoos Clearance sale ends Friday.

ShooShoos is providing a pair of shoes in exchange for spreading the word about this sale.

Bumper Free Crib Bedding

by Kate on February 29th, 2012 | 5 Comments | 28 Days of Design, Childrens Decor

Design: Bumper Free Crib Bedding from Lottie Da Baby

Why We Like It: We’ve been fans of Lottie Da’s gorgeous crib bedding for some time. Last year I even visited Lottie Da store in Columbus, Ohio to take a look at the bedding and other fabulous things in the shop in person. Everything Lottie Da has a quality boutique feel – mixing modern fabrics and innovative design for a decidedly chic result. We love that Lottie Da now offers bumper free crib sets (in line with the AAP recommendation against using bumpers) featuring the same boutique custom look we’ve come to expect.

I happen to love Lottie Da’s designs so much that after baby is born and grows into the Stokke Sleepi Crib I’m working with Amy of Lottie Da to order some custom bumper free bedding. I can’t wait!

Of course, I’d be remiss not to mention the gorgeous bedding sets that do have crib bumpers.

Shop! Lottie Da Baby crib bedding is available on Etsy. The 3 piece bumper free boys organic Beach Cruisers set is $375.

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Check out all our Children’s Décor & Design picks in the 28+1 Days of Decor.

Why Didn’t I Think of This Before?

by Shannon on February 29th, 2012 | 5 Comments | Birthday Gifts, Crafts with Kids, Life

Cutlines & Captions on the Back of Photo Frames? Genius.

Okay, maybe just genius to me.

Whenever my daughter and I attend a birthday party, I like to take photos of the birthday child and present them to mom & dad as a “thank you” for inviting us. Often, I frame one photo for them.

As I was doing this ritual tonight, I had difficulty getting the price tag and “made in…” sticker cleanly off the back. I wanted a way to hide the messy sticky film left behind from the stickers and realized I could print a caption for the back of the frame and attach it with double-sided tape.

As I was working on this project, I realized how much I would love it if I had done this for all my framed photos from ten years ago. There are so many for which I cannot remember the dates, location or all the people present. I WILL be doing this from now on. Just remember the journalistic rule for a caption – the 5 Ws and H – who, what, when, where, why and how.

MAM Personalized Pacifiers

by Kate on February 29th, 2012 | 5 Comments | Baby, Reviews

Neither of my kids have been much of a pacifier baby. I readily admit that I am hoping to change that with baby number 3. I can’t help but think having a little pacifying trick up my sleeve will be valuable as I balance life as a mom of three. Knowing my desire to have some pacifiers and my love of all things personalized, I was excited to learn that popular pacifier company MAM now creates personalized pacifiers. Yes, personalized. On the pacifier. Does it get any cuter?

About MAM Personalized Pacifiers

Engrave with your child’s name, nickname, or your own clever saying
BPA-Free
Available in 2 sizes (0-6 months and 6+ months) and 3 colors (green, pink and blue)

Baby’s Personalized Pacifiers

At first I wasn’t sure we’d be able to order pacifiers until after baby arrived. After all, we don’t know what name to put on them! But, MAM offers the option to personalized with up to two lines of text, ten characters per line. Now we just had to come up with the perfect saying. My husband came up with the phrase, “I’m kind of a big deal”, which if you know him at all, know that is something he says all.the.time. About himself - ~~half~~ joking, of course. He’ll switch it up to say, “She’s kind of a big deal” when he’s sweetly bragging about me and basically any time he can work the phrase into a conversation, he does. In any case, we agreed immediately it was perfect for our baby’s pacifiers.

The ordering process was super simple and straightforward. I chose gender-neutral green, size 0 – 6 months and entered the phrase. (When I ordered there was the capability to enter 3 lines of text, but now it says two lines for the ordering process.) The pacifiers arrived in a reusable storage container very soon after ordering and are just like the MAM pacifiers you’d buy at the local baby store, but better because they were made just for my baby.

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… If your little one is a MAM pacifier baby, these are an adorable way to set you pacifiers apart and add some personalization to an otherwise typical baby product. I love that the personalization is done by the manufacturer and not after-market, so I have confidence it maintains the quality and integrity of the product. These are also a great option for baby shower gifts!

Or Not to Buy… If your little one isn’t into pacifiers, unfortunately having her name on them won’t help persuade her to use one.

Shop! MAM Personalized Pacifiers are $20 for a set of 2 with free shipping or 4 for $25.

Thanks to MAM for providing samples.

Banner Style Personalized Nursery Art

by Kate on February 28th, 2012 | 5 Comments | 28 Days of Design, Childrens Decor

Design: Banner Style Personalized Nursery Art from Alley Kids

Why We Like It: Obviously we’re suckers for anything personalized. This style personalized nursery art stands out for the adorable banner design and we love that it can be personalized with birth date or with twins’ names. You pick the colors and customization and the print arrives ready to hang.

Shop! Alley Kids has a variety of nursery art, including the Banner Style featured here, for $16.

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Check out all our Children’s Décor & Design picks in the 28+1 Days of Decor.

A Real Toddler Boy’s Bedroom

by Shannon on February 28th, 2012 | 5 Comments | Childrens Decor, Nurseries, Bedrooms & Playrooms

I love the look of the very clean, minimalist nurseries that are featured on so many design sites these days. They are beautiful. How to create one totally evades me. With a toddler boy, we have tons of “stuff” and I’m still working on the design of his room. I was thrilled when I saw the nursery featuring an entire wall of picture ledge shelving in the Wall Decorating Ideas for the Nursery guest post by Chic & Cheap Nursery’s Nicole Abbott. This room design doesn’t deny or hide the stuff that comes with children, but embraces it and uses it as part of the design while managing to do so in an incredibly beautiful way. This is the goal.

We have a long way to go.

Because toddler boy (like most little boys) loves Lightening McQueen and Thomas the Train, we have embraced this with framed movie posters and a train table. We will, however, resist the temptation to let cartoon characters explode all over his room. We have calmed the clutter with a large bookcase and made a point to put books and his most sought-after toys within reach. Huge bins under the train table house the remainder of toys.

Toddler boy’s room will be in great transition in the next few months as he will move to a “big boy” bed and get a real chest of drawers. We are fast approaching a tearful good-bye to the crib and changing table that have served both my cherubs. Sniff. Sniff.

During this transition, the walls will get a fresh coat of paint, the new bed will have new linens, and there will almost certainly be a new furniture arrangement. Whew, I’m tired just thinking about all the work.

Until then, we’ll be discovering how this room functions in order to make sound design decisions. How does it function most often? As a play space.

Clean and minimalist design doesn’t seem to be in our future.

Mamas & Papas Mylo Stroller

by Kate on February 28th, 2012 | 5 Comments | Getting Ready for Baby

When baby arrives, he or she will be strolling in style. I’ve been obsessed with the Mamas & Papas Mylo stroller since seeing it in person at the ABC Kids Expo in 2010. My love of the stroller was reaffirmed after another demonstration at ABC in September 2011. Mylo is truly a stroller where style and function meet and the result is a fabulous stroller built to fit a family’s real lifestyle. Read on to see why I am delighted this is the stroller for our family with baby.

Meet Mylo

When you have your baby your stroller goes everywhere with you- we wanted to design a stroller with everything you want as a parent, and everything your baby needs. Mylo has the lightest steering, making it easy to navigate around the mall or busy sidewalk. Both the seat and the bassinette give the best in baby class for comfort and luxury, whether it’s walks in the park, visits to grandparents or sending baby off to sleep at night.

Baby’s Features

Unique soft moulded seat gives the best in class for baby comfort
Smooth suspension is fine tuned so baby isn’t disturbed by bumps under the wheels
Seat faces both ways – just squeeze the paddles under the seat and turn around
Backrest reclines fully and foot rest lifts up so baby can sleep soundly
Fits Maxi Cosi, Cybex and Graco infant carriers – just clip on the optional adaptor and go
Head hugger supports baby’s head as they doze
Large canopy gives plenty of shade on sunny days
Five point safety harness keep baby safe inside
Suitable from birth through 50 pounds

Parent’s features

Iconic and industrial design with a choice of colours – be the envy of other moms and dads!
Unique single handed fold is effortless, with or without the seat attached
Light to push with a compact fold that’s ideal for small car trunks and storage spaces, even with seat attached
No expense spared on quality materials, including a leatherette handle
Height adjustable handle and one touch brake
Easy gliding swivel wheels can be locked for the straight and narrow
Large shopping basket unzips on both sides for easy access

Out and About with Baby

Stay tuned for lots more information about the Mylo. In addition to a thorough written and video review we’ll be featuring the stroller in our “Out and About with Baby” series. For several weeks after baby arrives we’ll be sharing how this stroller fits into our life. From using it with our infant car seat to walks around the neighborhood to pushing big sister while wearing baby… the options for this stroller are endless.

Shop! The Mamas & Papas Mylo comes in four fun colors: Welly Green and Lime Jelly, Plum Pudding and Raspberry Ripple, Dove Grey and Sandcastle (pictured above) and Black Jack. The suggested retail price is $699.99 and it’s available for purchase from numerous online retailers.

Thanks to Mamas & Papas for providing a sample in exchange for review and coverage.

Jäll & Tofta Rocky

by Kate on February 27th, 2012 | 5 Comments | 28 Days of Design, Childrens Decor

Design: Jäll & Tofta Rocky

Why We Like It: Simply, because how freaking cool does this look? And talk about versatile! The Rocky can be used as a combination cradle and rocking chair – yes, it rocks back and forth when configured in the top image. As baby grows it can be a larger crib and then a toddler bed. It’s available in three different wood tones and you can pick from several vibrant cushion colors for the rocking chair.

Shop! Jäll & Tofta is currently only available in Europe but we’re hoping for a US launch soon.

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Check out all our Children’s Décor & Design picks in the 28+1 Days of Decor.