Sunday, February 27, 2011

And the Cribsie goes to....(cont.)


Stroller Traffic, A-List Mom and Diapers.com are hosting a fantastic Awards program right now. I've been listing my votes and commenting on the selection. But as I said before, the list is loooonnng.  So I had to break it up.  Here's the rest:



GEAR:
Ultimate Do-It-All Stroller - Baby Jogger City Series
 
Chicest Diaper Bag That Doesn't Look Like A Diaper Bag - Timi& Leslie {great if you are going incog-mommy and don't want your bag to advertise it contains nappies and milk and wipes and things}

Best Way To Recycle Used Baby Stuff - BrightZoo

Comfiest Infant Tub - Puj Tub {Best infant tub hands down}

Most Necessary Car Seat Accessory - Safe Fit Baby-In-Sight Mirror

Coziest Winter Must-Have - JJ Cole BundleMe

Best Diaper Pail - Munchkin Arm & Hammer Diaper Pail

Coolest Stroller Add-On - Think King Mighty Buggy Hook {these make mall shopping a breeze}

The One Thing You Can't Leave Home Without - gogo Kidz Travelmate {soooo much better than buying a travel car seat or having to rent one at your destination}
 
Most Comfortable Way To Wear Your Baby - Sleepy Wrap {a life-saver when your newborn just won't settle}

FASHION:
Cutest Socks To Build An Outfit Around - Trumpette {a better description would be the cutest socks for every outfit}

Gentlest Detergent For Baby Togs - Dapple

Best Shoes For Developing Feet - Pediped

Loveliest Layette Essentials - Pixie Lily {they make the most beautiful and softest layette...love them}

Most Darling Dress-Up Duds - Ralph Lauren {for boys, but my real vote goes to Matilda Jane, who should've been nominated}

Ultimate Street-Cool Appeal - A For Apple {their clothes for boys are actually cool and not just....strange looking}

Best Way To Score Mad Deals On Luxe Labels - Gilt Children {for the bargain fashionista in us all}

Comfiest Pajamas - Hanna Andersson {their PJs are amazing. they are super soft and last FOREVER even after many many many many MANY washes in HOT water. love love love them}

Most Durable Basics That Don't Look Like Basics - Mini Boden

Best Inside Track On Kids' Wear Trends - Child Mode

WEB:
Best Place To Connect With Other Moms - MomsLikeMe 

Most Addictive Celebrity Baby Site - Celebrity Baby Scoop

Top Go-To Resource For Expecting Moms - The Bump

Coolest Design Ideas For The Nursery - Nursery Notations

Yummiest Toddler Recipes - Weelicious {this has been such a big help for me because I have such a hard time coming up with new meal ideas for my little ones}

Sleekest Family E-Zine - Babiekins magazine

Best DIY Announcements And Invites - Tiny Prints {there are lots of imitators now but Tiny Prints is still the best}

Most Trustworthy Product Reviews - CoolMomPicks

Smartest Family Travel Tips - PoshBrood

Easiest Place To Spend A Paycheck - Giggle  {their store is so soothing an easy to shop in. and I LOVE that their CEO is a woman!}

 *   *   *

Phewww......now that's a lot of top picks.  Happy shopping!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

And the Cribsie goes to....

Stroller Traffic, A-List Mom and Diapers.com are hosting a fantastic Awards program right now. Even if you're not into voting {and this is a loooonnng list of categories} the list of nominees is a great way to find a lot of fantastic products and websites all in one place. Almost every one of my favorites is nominated in their respective category. The best of what you need all in one place!

So go vote or browse.  To make things easier {or influence your vote ;-)}, I've listed my votes below with some commentary to go with it:

MEALTIME:
Next Best Thing To Pureeing Your Own Baby Food - Ella's Kitchen {I would have voted for Plum Organics if they were nominated, and they really should've been}

Best Baby Bottles - The First Years Breastflow {definitely the best if you're breast feeding}

Most Stylish Way To Pack A Lunch - Kids Konserve Lunch Sack

Frozen Meals That Don't Make You Feel Like A Bad Mom - Dr. Praeger's Littles

Ultimate Leak-Proof Sippy Cup - BornFree Training Cups

Most Helpful Feeding-On-The-Go Accessory - Phil&Teds MeToo

Best Crowd-Pleasing Toddler Snack - Plum Organics Super Puffs

Handiest Cooking Gadget - Beaba Babycook {LOVE thing thing....you should get the carrying case too!}

Coolest Feeding Sets For Picky Palettes - thinkbaby

Best High Chair That Isn't An Eye Sore - Peg-Perego Prima Pappa {love this because it comes in colors that don't scream "BABY IN THE HOUSE NOW!"}

NURSERY:
Best Skincare For Babies - Earth Mama Angel Baby {Aveeno Baby is a close second for me and is more economical}

Coolest Cribs for Modern Tots - Oeuf {not so much into the "cool" crib trend (round?!?), but these are cool and practical}

The One Baby Gadget You Won't Regret Buying - Nosefrida Snot Sucker {of the nominees, there's no contest on this one in my opinion, but the Itzbeen timer is definitely second}

Most Reliable Video Monitor - Summer Infant BabyTouch {in a word....awesome. this coming from an admitted gadget geek}

Snuggliest Security Blankies - Little Giraffe Chenile Blanky {I have lots and lots of favorites...like Shi Shu Baby...but of those nominated, this one is the cudliest}

Best Infant Diapers - Huggies Overnites {this was a weird category. overnights vs. swaddlers vs. green vs. cloth. very confusing. my real choice for best disposable is Huggies Pure & Natural}

Safest Cleaning Products That Actually Work - BabyGanics {there's a lot of competition in this category, but I just really like BabyGanics for everything so I went with them}

Statement Crib Bedding Worth The Splurge - Ollie & Lime

Best Sleep-Inducing Swaddle Blanket - Aden + Anais {love, love, love their blankets AND wash cloths}

Cutest Nursery Wall Decals - Pop & Lolli {haven't tried them, but like their name :) and really like the fact that they are 100% Made In The USA}

PLAY:
Most Stimulating Activity Gym - Tiny Love Gymini Super Deluxe

The Toy Every Teething Tyke Needs - Sophie Giraffe {thought this was overrated until my 2nd little one wouldn't stop chewing on it!}

Best Distraction When You Need To Shower - 4moms mamaRoo Infant Seat

Catchiest Kids Tunes - Putumayo Kids {Laurie Berkner is a close second. love Telephone and Buzz Buzz Buzz}

Favorite Show That Won't Fry A Tot's Brain - Sid The Science Kid {and of course Sesame Street too...I'm a purest}

Most Entertaining Tub Toys - Alex Toys

Coolest Way To Keep Track Of Their Stuff - Mabel's Labels {Wish they were a US company, but their labels hold up really really well so I have to give it to them}

Wooden Toys They Won't Want To Share - Melissa & Doug {I love everything they make. THE best toy company for young children.}

Most Inspiring Art Supplies - Miss Brittany's {so glad they are getting noticed!}

Best Thing On Wheels - Radio Flyer Wagons


To be continued....

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Virtual Baby

They change so fast! We try as hard a possible to capture, record, memorialize all of the special moments. But being a mommy to 1, 2, 3 or more little ones does not leave you with the luxury of leisurely writing in and designing a baby book. And if you're like me, your smartphone, tablet, laptop is usually a lot closer when these memories occur than that beautifully embroidered keepsake book gathering dust in the top of your little one's closet. 

I soooo want to be the mommy who has a beautiful book that includes all of my little ones' firsts and special keepsakes.  But alas, I'm up to baby number 2 and haven't even gotten past 4 months in my book for baby number 1.

That is why I LOVE the concept behind MyOwnLittleStory. They claim to be the "only on-line baby book with email reminders".  Sounds good to me, but I haven't come across any with non-email reminders so..hey...ok. But what I think is great about them is that:

♥ you can design and create a book for free {yes, free!}. That way if you start working on it, with all the best of intentions, you're not out 25, 50, 75 bucks if you don't quite complete the project; 
♥ the interface is so user-friendly and they even give you prompts {on each page and via email} so you don't have to come up with what to include on each page; 
♥ your book can be as long or as short as you want; and 
♥ best of all, you can upload pictures to your book! What I lack in book creation, I more than make up for in photographic memory creation.  I have gigabytes of photos of my boys. Cheese was {and likely will be} both of their first words.
The only catch is what the book looks like after you print it. That's where the money comes in, but the prices are reasonable.  Unfortunately, they don't give you a lot of detail about what the finished product will look like, or better yet show you detailed samples of finished book. It would be very helpful for me to see how moms who are really good at this wrote in and designed their books. 

If nothing else, I have an easy and highly accessible place to record the memories until I get around to actually figuring out the book creation process. Which is.....Priceless.