The Mommy Hook

Like everyone, I appreciate good products. Like everyone, I don't like wasting money. Yesterday I saw The Mommy Hook on The Celebrity Baby Blog and couldn't help but mention it here too...but for a much different reason.

The Mommy Hook is a carabiner clip exactly like the one shown here. It's a lifesaver for extra bags when shopping or to clip your diaper bag on your stroller if you don't have valet clips or ones built in to your bag. It's also padded to make it comfortable to hold the weight of multiple packages in your hand.

But here's the difference: The Mommy Hook has The Mommy Hook printed on the rubber guide and costs $8.00. The Workforce Hangalls Jumbo Carabiner you can purchase at The Home Depot is plain and costs $2.99. I don't know about you, but during this challenging economic time, I can think of other things I need to spend $5.01 on than 12 tiny white letters printed on some rubber. It's a great product...just overpriced, in my opinion.

Alphabet Art: Part 1

With my daughter Martha now singing the ABCs on a daily basis (thank you Super WHY!) and trying to read like her big brother, we've got letters on the mind in our house. I recently came across these great ABC posters on Etsy while looking for some tools to further her new found literary love.

First up is the Alphabet Art Print in Letter Fest's Etsy store. It is available in pinks, blues, or yellows, as shown here. All are soft, subtle colors that won't distract from your other nursery decorations...although the print is sure to make a statement on it's own!

Most of the illustrations shown to correspond to each letter are my favorites for each letter...I love butterflies, elephants, stars, and whales...and who doesn't love a good yacht?!

Available in Letter Fest's Etsy Store for $20.00.

Alphabet Art: Part 2

This is the Animal A-Z Poster from Tara Hogan's Etsy shop. This poster is made using 100% post consumer recycled paper and soy inks. It comes packaged in a recycled kraft tube mailer.

This poster is just stunning, in my opinion. I fancy the use of animals, great illustrations (particularly the birds), and lovely colors! I appreciate that it showcases both capital letters as well as lowercase letters for children to learn.

The Animal A-Z Poster is available in Tara Hogan's Etsy Store for $60.00. And spend a few minutes browsing the rest of her work...it's all simply stunning!

Cut Out Photos

For my son's second birthday he wanted his party to have a transportation theme. For his cake I made an amazing Sailboat Birthday Cake I had seen in a Martha Stewart Kids years earlier...it featured a handmade paper sailboat atop an amazingly iced cake using Martha's Seven Minute Frosting to resemble soft blue waves. You can see a photo of the cake here if you're curious...and yes, mine did look just like that...the frosting is really fool-proof to apply! OK, back to my son's party...

As we were all finishing up our best rendition of the Happy Birthday song, my son stuck his two pointer fingers in the air and blew out his candles. We captured this cute moment of August contorting his face to blow out his candles while showing his age in fingers, along with the simple paper boat on the cake and his two candles (one lit and one already feeling my son's damage). It immediately became an iconic photo to me.

I thought long and hard about how I wanted to display it and then, upon visiting a friend's house in Georgia, I was reminded of her cut out photos of some of her special moments with her children. I loved that the pop out technique removed any busy background so as to only focus on the captured image. So that's what I did with his second birthday photo...and I love it!

A simple Google search of "photo cut outs" will give you a ton of options of companies to use. Because I like the simple base and the prices are more reasonable than some, I like presentsofmind.com and zazzle.com. Ordering is a bit old school with Presents of Mind because you have to print out the order form and mail it in. But if you don't have an electronic image of your desired pop out, that will be just fine. If you're anxious to get started, go with Zazzle because you can upload your photo on their site and turnaround will be quicker.

líllébaby EveryWear GiveAway

One lucky reader is going to win a wonderful líllébaby EveryWear baby carrier! This carrier retails for $100 and has many great features, which you can read about here.

And did I mention you get to choose between the four great colors?! Well, you do!

Entries must be received by noon on March 10 and the lucky winner will be announced on Ugga Mugga March 11. To enter this exciting giveaway, click here!

líllébaby EveryWear

The líllébaby EveryWear carrier is as versatile as any carrier...and more so! It can be used with your child inward facing and facing outward, it can be worn on your hip, or on your back! And it's suitable for children from newborns to toddlers (7-43 pounds)!

The carrier features ergonomic sitting positions to assist in healthy spine development as well a gentle motion suspension system to help absorb weight and movement making it safe for you, the parent, as well.

The EveryWear is available in four great color choices (the brown and the red are my favorite) and is made from wind/water repellent microfiber. It's small enough to fold up into a diaper bag which I love so I can tote it to my son's activities and use it quickly when my baby wakes and wants to be held...but when I need my hands free to help with art projects and things. It is also lightweight...but not light on features. Included with the carrier are pockets for keys, your cell phone, sunscreen, or diapers.

Available at giggle.com and amazon.com for $100.00.

Kaboost

Now that my daughter Martha is no longer the youngest in the family, she appreciates being treated accordingly...no more diapers (she potty trained herself instantly...what a wonderful gift), no more naps (not such a wonderful gift), and no more baby booster seats. If your child is anything like my Martha, meet Kaboost!

Kaboost is a great product that can turn any chair into a booster seat, all while pampering your child's ego! It's also lightweight and folds into one small piece so it's portable and great for vacations or to keep in the car for dinners out or visits to friends or grandmas!

Available for $38.34 in lime green, chocolate brown, natural tan, and charcoal gray at amazon.com where it SHIPS FREE.