Tea Collection $15 Dresses & $10 Tees {Sale}

by Kate on May 22nd, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

The Tea Collection Memorial Day Sale is on NOW. With $15 dresses and $10 shirts you can save 50% or more on this season’s Destination: Bali styles.

Shop $15 Dresses.

And for the boys? Shop $10 Tees.

Here are some of our favorites from the sale.


Agung Polo
(reg. $30, now $10).


Barong Batik Layered Tee
(reg. $30, now $10).


Floating Rice Field Dress
(reg. $39, now $15).


Lotus Batik Knot Dress
(reg. $35, now $15).

Get more wear out of the dresses and plan ahead for fall with coordinating $10 leggings.


Radiant Rice Leggings
(reg. $25, now $10).

Happy shopping!

Bathroom Break-Friendly Bathing Suits for Girls

by Kate on May 22nd, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

We’re only one week into the pool season and I’m already sick of my daughter’s totally adorable one-piece bathing suit. It’s just NOT practical for a three year old girl to wear a suit that has to come all the way off every time she has to use the bathroom. The situation is even more dire if you’re dealing with a potty training girl – “Must.get.on.potty.NOW!” Two piece suits are a great option, but we’re not into bikinis on little girls. We’ve rounded up the best non-bikini bathroom-friendly bathing suits for girls.

Click on each small scrolling image to see larger picture and name of bathing suit.

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DownEast Basics Girl Crustacean Cutie Tankini
DownEast Basics Girl Crustacean Cutie Tankini
Lands' End V-Neck Side Tie Tankini
Lands' End V-Neck Side Tie Tankini
Snap Me Swimwear
Snap Me Swimwear
Old Navy Rash Guard & Boy Short
Old Navy Rash Guard & Boy Short
Swim Zip Ruffle Me Pretty
Swim Zip Ruffle Me Pretty
Old Navy Butterfly Tankini
Old Navy Butterfly Tankini
Gap Striped Tankini
Gap Striped Tankini
Lands' End Tiered Top Tankini
Lands' End Tiered Top Tankini

Shop! Check out the links below to shop these styles.

Gear Up to Give Back with PBK & PBteen

by Shannon on May 21st, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

Preschool girl enters Kindergarten this year! I already have my teacher “please love my child and treat her tenderly” gift in progress, but with the help of Pottery Barn Kids, I could be a hero to the whole school. Or you could be a hero to your child’s school.

Sign up your school for the Pottery Barn Kids “Gear Up to Give Back” program* and as you make your back-to-school gear selections a percentage of purchase will be donated back to your school.** Once your school is enrolled, purchases from other parents at your school will be eligible as well.

As an added bonus, if you enroll your school now through June 14, you will be entered into the sweepstakes for a chance to win $2,500 for your school and $2,500 for yourself!

I was already eyeing a PBK backpack and lunch box for preschool girl’s first fall of “big kid school,” so I’m glad to know the purchase will also benefit her school. For the purposes of the program, duffle bags also count as “gear” and are eligible.

If you have older children, PBteen purchases are also eligible for the “give back” program.

Like any donation program and sweepstakes, there are lots of terms and conditions, one of which is that only U.S. schools and purchases are eligible.

* You will need your school’s tax ID number. If enrolling a private school, you will need an IRS Determination Letter or 501(c)(3) and 509(a) tax exempt certificate.
** Percentage varies with total dollar amount of purchases.

Boba Introduces New Babywearing Accessories

by Kate on May 10th, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

Boba, makers of the great Boba Wrap and Boba Carrier, have just introduced several new accessories to the Boba family. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Boba Mini

My daughter loves to do all things just like mommy and babywearing is no exception. She has a flimsy little pink thing that is nothing like a real baby carrier, though, so I love the idea of giving her an upgrade to the Boba Mini ($29.95). Made for carrying dolls and animals, the Boba Mini matches the Boba Carrier 3G Classic Collection and is made with 100% cotton.

Teething Pads

Teething Pads ($20) are clearly created with babies in mind. As you know, they chew on everything in sight. These pads are 100% cotton and cover the shoulder straps of the Boba Baby Carrier. Baby will gnaw on 100% organic cotton free of dyes or chemicals and your pretty carrier will be protected from baby slobber. Win-win.

Carrier Stuff Sack

The Carrier Stuff Sack ($15) is designed to hold and protect your Boba Baby Carrier when not in use. Roll up your carrier, place it in the sack and toss it in the car or place it near the door so it’s always ready to go. The Stuff Sacks match the Boba patterns and are a super practical storage for your Carrier.

Shop! Visit BobaFamily.com to shop these accessories and Boba Wraps and Boba Baby Carriers.

GapKids Launches Cabana Collection

by Kate on May 8th, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

Gap recently launched the Cabana collection for GapKids! Inspired by the warmth and energetic colors of Tulum, Mexico, the Cabana collection encourages little girls and boys to be true to who they are through the expression of color. The bright new styles for Summer include striped dresses, embroidered rompers and denim vests for her and plaid shorts, garment-dye shirts and graphic T’s for him.

GapKids Cabana Collection

Here are some of our favorite pieces that will bring color and joy to little wardrobes this summer.



Children’s Cabana Cha Cha

To celebrate the spirit of the collection Gap partnered with Debbie Allen, an award-winning actress, dancer, choreographer, director and producer, to create an energetic dance called the “Cabana Cha Cha.” The children are dressed in clothes from the Cabana collection and they are as cute (and talented) as can be. Make sure you watch and share the video because Gap will donate $1 to the Debbie Allen Dance Academy for every time the video is shared via Facebook or Twitter!

Shop! The Cabana Collection is available at Gap stores and online at Gap.com - check out the boys collection and the girls collection. Prices in the collection range from $14.95 – $39.95.

Naturepedic & MightNest: A Shout Out

by Shannon on May 7th, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

I don’t feel we pay one another enough compliments, so oftentimes when standing in line at the grocery store or at the coffee shop for my morning tea, I’ll let people know if “you look great in that color” or “that skirt is awesome!”  I once saw an elderly lady with the legs of a 20-year-old.  I told her she had “great gams” and she almost cried.  She said I had made her year.

I also feel we don’t give companies enough kuddos when they’ve done a great job.  Therefore, I want to take a moment to shout the praises of Naturepedic and MightyNest.

We recently played “musical beds” in our house as toddler boy moved from a crib to a regular bed.  We moved preschool girl’s full mattress to his floor (for safety) and she needed a new mattress.  I struggled with the decision of conventional mattress vs. organic and, after talking with some amazing folks at Naturepedic, knew that I needed to go with my gut and invest in the 2-in-1 organic cotton ultra mattress.  In an effort to make the organic option fit our budget, I was looking for free shipping to our “remote” location and discovered that Mighty Nest is a Naturepedic vendor and ALWAYS offers free shipping on orders over $75.

Because shipping was free, I was expecting a long delivery time, but delivery was so quick (approximately 10 days, if that) I was out of town for the original delivery date.  So, while in Florida with four kids under foot, I called MightyNest to reschedule delivery.  My cell call was interrupted by either kids or a dropped call (I’m not sure).  Approximately three minutes later I called the 800 number again.  The wonderful representative answered by saying, “Is this Shannon?”

Never in my life have I called an 800 number and been greeted by name! 

Of course, everyone was very accommodating in rescheduling the delivery date.  I have the ultimate apology to make in that I don’t remember the name of the amazing representative I spoke with that day, but I have complete faith that MightyNest will always take care of their customers to the highest degree.

The mattress arrived the day after our return from Florida and I couldn’t wait to open the box.  When I opened it I found a high quality mattress that was proudly made in the USA, but I was more impressed with what I didn’t find – no odors, no off-gassing, no signs of toxic chemicals.  I feel great knowing preschool girl will be sleeping on this for years to come.


In addition to feeling I’ve received a quality product, I also feel good about the purchase and the companies with which I did business (this from the woman who once tried to return a CAR, not because I didn’t like the car, but because the salesman and dealership were so horrible).  Both Naturepedic and MightyNest provided immediate, courteous, and accurate responses to my questions and concerns and I will recommend both to everyone I know.

Do you have a business that you praise?  If so, leave a comment below to let others know.

New mamaRoo: Updates Make 4moms Product Even Better

by Kate on May 1st, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

4moms has made some updates to the popular mamaRoo baby seat/swing/bouncer. We have been using the “old” mamaRoo with Max and love it, but these changes make some great improvements to the mamaRoo. “The mamaRoo has always been a great product,” says Rob Daley, CEO of 4moms. “Customers love it and it sells tremendously. But we saw ways to make a good thing even better, and we strive to always be a company that proactively improves wherever we can.”

mamaRoo Updates at a Glance

  • Faster speeds
  • Sleeker interface
  • New fabric designs
  • Locking toy bar
  • One year warranty

We love the look of the new interface:

By comparison, here’s the “old” interface. It functions the same, but we do prefer the new look with gray controls versus the yellow on our model.

The six available colors include four Plush and two Classic fabrics. From left to right: Blue Plush, Multi Plush, Silver Plush, Green Plush, Classic Black and Classic Silver. Check out our mamaRoo review to see why we prefer the Plush fabric.

Shop! The “new” mamaRoo is available from our affiliate Right Start for $200 for the Classic and $240 for Plush with Free Shipping.

This post contains affiliate links.

Fab Find: Senn & Sons Nursery Art

by Kate on May 1st, 2012  |  5 Comments  |  Shopping

I came across Senn & Sons last week on Pinterest and was immediately smitten. From a California studio, Kimberly Senn creates unique, colorful triptychs that are the perfect touch for just about any nursery. Kimberly creates custom set of three paintings on canvas that together create one bold statement. Here are some of my favorites:

Dandelion

Paper Airplane

Giraffes

Elephant & Stars

I just love these paintings and I’m already brainstorming for Max’s nursery after we move this summer.

Shop! Check out the Senn & Sons website or contact Kimberly directly through the Senn & Sons Etsy shop to collaborate on a custom set of paintings. If you’re in San Francisco, NYC or Chicago you can find Senn & Sons in Sprout.