Teeny Manolo

You know, because being pregnant isn’t already uncomfortable enough.

At least, that’s what Heidi Klum thinks that a pregnant woman needs, and will be charging you a cool $550 for the privilege of wearing them.

She’s got maternity collections out at both Pea in the Pod and Motherhood Maternity.

I’m looking at them both, and frankly, she’s not really making it work.

When my daughter was first born, she began to get little red bumps all over her face, probably due to exposure to the detergent on our clothes.  Then, because it was dry and cold, she began to get flaky, dry skin everywhere, but especially her face.  Using the humidifier wasn’t helping.

So I went to my local Mother’s Market and asked the nearest salesperson about the best baby cream to use for infant “skin issues” as I delicately put it to her.  I wasn’t about to say that my daughter looked like a molting, pimply teenager.

She directed me to the California Baby products, and also mentioned a few other contenders as well.  I have used California Baby products before, namely their sunscreen, and have been happy with the results.

So, I chose the Calendula Cream, and it has been nothing short of fabulous. It hydrated her skin and cleared up the rashes overnight!  If only we adults could find something so effective.  Although I’m sure her newborn-ness has something to do with it as well.

I’m also currently using it for her chin and upper chest area, where she can get a little bumpy since her number one goal in life is to chew her fingers as much as possible now that she has the arm control to do so.  I’m also using it after bathtime on her diaper area, mostly just because I can.

In short, I highly recommend this good-smelling, lightweight, all natural cream.  The jar says that Mom can use it as a night cream, and I have to say I’m highly tempted!

*I did not receive any samples or fees to review this product.

From a swear-to-god true craigslist ad: 

BOWS FOR DOGGIES OR BABY- SO ADORABLE – $1

I AM STARTING A BOW BUSINESS FOR PETS AND WILL BRING THEM TO YOUR SHOP

$1.25 EACH ( MIM – OF 10 )

SO CALLING ALL GROOMERS – CALL ME FOR THESE ADORABLE HANDMADE BOWS

LIL*DJ* LOVE IS LIFE – DOGGIE JEMS

If you are going to go for some sort of dual marketing ploy, at least do it in a different ad! Just imagine how embarassed my daughter would be to have the same bow in her hair as the Yorkie down the street.

Why is it that so many parents in my area think they are justified in pricing their used kid’s items on craigslist for almost retail?  When the things are goodness knows how gently used?

I have no problems buying used baby items because man, some of it is damn expensive. 

But why in the world would I buy a used item for over half of what it retails for in the store?

For example, I would like a new stroller for the Munchkinette.  We have a MaClaren, and I wanted another.  The one we have is still very functional after six years of use, but I was thinking that it wasn’t necessarily going to last another six. 

My husband disagreed, but said I could get one off of craigslist if the price was right.

After searching for a while, I became not a little outraged at the prices people wanted for used baby things.  Yeah, I know it was expensive when you bought it, but it isn’t new anymore!  This stuff is like a car, once you open it up and put your baby in it, it loses half its value and it just keeps dropping from there.

But no, for a two year old stroller, one woman wanted almost half the retail price.  She was unwilling to negotiate, and after two weeks, it is still unsold.   I find that people wh0 want outrageous amounts of money for their crap often have an inflated sense of self worth to go along with their inflated prices, and this laday was no different.  If I wanted to pay that much money, I would just get a new one.

So, for all you parents out there who think that you should charge a premium for your used things, get over yourselves!

When I was about seven months pregnant this summer, a bunch of the women in my family went shoe shopping at one of our favorite stores, Nordstrom Rack.  If you’ve never been to the Rack, you have spared yourselves a marathon day of searching for that perfect something, but you have also lost out on an always fun shopping trip. It is where all the local Nordie items that were deemed unworthy by the wealthy are deemed fit for us poor people to desperately paw through.

Anhyhoo, I couldn’t really do any clothes shopping, so of course I went directly to the shoes.  Oh, the shoes.  Racks and racks of shoes, some of them obviously deserving of a place on the clearance table, others not so much.   I almost always find a pair that I’m willing to buy, it just depends on the budget at the time if they will actually accompany me home.

As I was perusing the aisles, my eyes spied what looked to be very cute loafers.  I’m a sucker for loafers.  At places like this, you have to be very quick, because there is always some chick shadowing you and trying to invade your rightful personal space (and shoe picks) so I grabbed them and put them in my basket.  My M.O. is to collect all the promising looking shoes into my personal possession and away from the shifty-eyed bitch to the left of me, and then take a look at them all when my basket is full.

Well, when I got to this particular pair of loafers, I saw immediately that I loved them.  They were sort of spectator-ish and looked to be made of linen, which I thought was really interesting.  Then I looked at the label.  They were from Taryn Rose.  Oh my! And the price?  Only eighty bucks, which if you know anything about Taryn Rose shoes, that is an absolute steal. 

So I tried them on, and noticed that there was a very tiny black mark on the left heel. Aha, that explained the discounting.  I was willing to overlook the mark, it was toward the inside and I didn’t think anyone would be looking that closely at my feet as I was walking.  I mean, you never know, but I was willing to take the chance.  It wasn’t an egregious mark, and hey, I could always blame it on my kids and no one would think twice.

When I modeled them for my family, they loved the shoes, but a few of them had puckered brows as they looked down at my pregnant feet.  It seemed that my swollen-ish feet were stretching the linen on the top of the shoe in an ugly way.  An ugly way that meant the shoes weren’t worth buying.

But wait, the swollen feet were a temporary condition, I exclaimed.  I can still triumphantly purchase these lovely, comfortable shoes!

However, I was counseled against buying them since I couldn’t be absolutely sure if the stretching was a part of the shoe, or if it was my feet, or any other number of uncontrollable factors.  I wept, but they were right.  I didn’t want to spend eighty bucks just to have them sit in my closet forever.

So maybe I’m just in denial and I have fat feet, but I’d like to think that if only I hadn’t been pregnant when I tried those shoes on, I would in fact be wearing them right now.

What was your pair of shoes that got away?

This actually came out a week or two ago, and I missed it because I was doing something impractical, like giving birth or something.

Anyhoo, I’d heard a lot of buzz about the collection, and decided to take a look for myself.

All right, I am seriously digging the Sgt. Pepper jacket.  I don’t know that I would actually buy it, but I am digging it nonetheless.

Not so enthralled with the leopard-screened sweater dress. 

The color palette you see in these photos is pretty indicative of the entire collection. Soft, soft, colors and soft, soft fabrics, including cashmere. 

All in all, there are very reasonably priced articles of clothing that I would certainly purchase for myself, and some great showstoppers, such as the Sgt. Pepper jacket and a fabulous trench coat that many adults would spring for if it came in their size.

2009 is a banner year for boys, it seems.  There are lots and lots of new products geared toward boys, and I’m here to show them to you!

Nintendo DSi A high-powered handheld video game system in a sleek, folding design-loaded with features designed to create a unique gaming experience. Features include the ability to snap photos with built-in cameras, edit and send them to friends, play back your music with Nintendo DSi Sound, or browse the Internet with the Nintendo DSi Browser.

Fisher Price Imaginext Dragon World Fortress  A great toy that will transport him back to the time of knights and dragons!  Features cool sound effects, secret trapdoors, and tons of interactive features.

Lego Track Turbo RC Take control of the Track Turbo RC racer, complete with spoiler, air intake, and oversized engine for blazing-fast remote-controlled speed. Drive forward, back, left and right using the LEGO Function IRC controller.

Battle Strikers Turbo It’s a battle of the tops!  Uses magnetically charged turbo tops which give you the power to control them.

Nanovor Nanoscope Digital Collectible Game Discover tiny silicon monsters that live inside your PC and everywhere, and unlock the offline world of Nanovor with the Nanoscope. Battle with up to 4 Nanoscope devices and connect your Nanoscope to your PC. Battle your friends where ever you are. Play Mini-Games exclusively on the Nanoscope to make you Nanovor more powerful.

D-Rex Interactive Dinosaur Ultra-fierce and unbelievably fun, the D-REX Interactive Dinosaur is a cool, prehistoric creature with a personality all his own. Designed to keep kids eight and up entertained for days, this robotic D-REX moves, roars, and responds to your child’s voice and touch. A bone-shaped controller even lets you “train” him as a guard dinosaur or an attack pet.

Nerf Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 Dart Blaster Value Pack This is the pinnacle of blaster performance! It gives you two blasting modes, a clear window to view ammo capacity, and a pump action handle gives you ultimate control!

Lego Bionicles Ever-popular toy has new versions out for the Christmas season.  Boys truly love building these!

Radica UCreate Music Ucreate Music is an easy-to-use digital music-making system that allows kids to mix music just like a music producer. Kids and teens can express themselves through creating their own songs, performances and re-mixes with the fun and innovative interface.

Want the latest and greatest gifts for that wonderful girl in your life? Look no further, I’ve got them right here.

Interested in other hot toys for Xmas 2009? Go here!

Barbie Twilight Bella Doll and Barbie Twilight Edward Doll.  Oh yes, as if she hasn’t got enough Twilight merchandise in her life!

Nintendo DSi A high-powered handheld video game system in a sleek, folding design-loaded with features designed to create a unique gaming experience. Features include the ability to snap photos with built-in cameras, edit and send them to friends, play back your music with Nintendo DSi Sound, or browse the Internet with the Nintendo DSi Browser.

Zhu Zhu Pets. These are simply flying off the shelves. They have their own personalities, can purr, and can scoot around the floor on their own. But the beauty is, there’s no mess to clean up!

Disney Just One Kiss Princess Tiana Doll  From the newest Disney motion picture release comes the lovely Princess Tiana.  Re-enact key scenes from the movie, and her beautiful dress even has firefly lights all over it!

Peg Perego Polaris Trail Princess  This is definitely an expensive item, but has room for two, high performance steering, four-wheel suspension and automatic brakes. it even has SmartPedal Technology, which means there’s a 3-position variable accelerator for a smooth ride and increased riding time.

Tamagotchi Music Star. There are lots of different “skins” and colors to choose from on this popular, tiny electronic toy. Children raise their tamagotchi to be music stars, where they can then be in their own band and play their own music!

FAMPS starter kit What in the world is FAMPS? It stands for: feelings, attitudes, moods, personalities.  It is software for a PC that allows her to express herself through wallpaper, e-cards, avatars, and more!

Liv Girls Fashion Dolls Each Liv Doll comes with their own story and personality, and have 14 points of articulation for a more life-like look.  The dolls each come with a code to enter the online world of Liv Dolls as well.

Littlest Pet Shop Adoption Center The young pet lover in your home will be having plenty of fun with the Littlest Pet Shop Cozy Care Adoption Center, which teaches kids how to keep their pets well-fed, healthy, groomed, and happy in this multi-activity filled playset.

Mattel Dora Links Doll Plug the Dora Links doll into the computer and girls will have access to her online world. There, girls can help Dora and her friends solve mysteries through engaging game play that affects change in Dora’s world. Disguise Dora online by changing her hair length, eye color, jewelry, and more…and watch those changes magically appear on your Dora doll!

Little Mommy Baby Ah-Choo Doll Oh no, she’s sick!  Toddlers will love helping this cute doll feel all better!

Honestly, it’s never too early to shop for Christmas.  If you want to score some of the hottest toys, you’ve got to be on top of your game.  And I’m here to help.  I’ve got a list of some of the most-wanted toys for Christmas 2009, just for you!

Zhu Zhu Pets.  These are simply flying off the shelves.  They have their own personalities, can purr, and can scoot around the floor on their own.  But the beauty is, there’s no mess to clean up!

Wild Planet Crayon Town  This play set comes in many forms, from a zoo to a horse ranch. It combines the art with construction and imaginary play.  Kids can even use old and broken crayons to make more scenery.  This toy is getting fantastic reviews!

Tamagotchi Music Star. There are lots of different “skins” and colors to choose from on this popular, tiny electronic toy.  Children raise their tamagotchi to be music stars, where they can then be in their own band and play their own music!

PixOs Ultimate 3D Design Station  Kids are able to make 2D and 3D designs with movable parts and hinges, all with no ink and zero mess.  If you haven’t yet gotten in on the PixOs bandwagon, this might be the time.  Super fun!

Printies Design Studio Lots of different sets, from Ocean to Pets, allow your kids to design and stuff their own animals.  Sort of like Build-a-Bear, but without all the extra cost! Just print out the design on an inkjet printer, and up to six pets can be made with no sewing and no glue!

Lego 2009 Advent Calendar This one you have to get before Christmas! The Lego enthusiast in your life will love building a new piece of the set every day during Advent.

Bop ItA new game for the whole family.  It’s most comparable to “Simon Says” but in the most high-tech way possible!

VTech Bugsby Reading System & Pen Bundle
  The newest reading system from VTech helps to build reading skills through comprehension, phonics, word recognition, and more!  You can begin with the starter kit, and then add more popular character titles, from Dora to Max and Ruby.

Mindflex A new, fairly amazing game that actually reads your brain waves to levitate foam balls and sends them on different obstacle courses that progress in difficulty as you master the game.  Don’t believe it?  It does actually work!

Mickey’s Magic Choo-Choo Train  Just like on the show, this train lays its own tracks!  Music and different modes make for plenty of toddler fun!

Comes in pink or blue for even the youngest Grim Reaper fetishist.

(via Etsy seller beebles)