Simply for Giggles is expanding their stroller offering! We love how easy it is to fold Baby Jogger and we LOVE the prices! We don't have our stock yet, but order off our reps samples and you'll get 15% off!

The Messenger Bag's For DadsPlus, she'll be bringing the new Spring Samples from Ju-Ju-Be*, also available for pre-orders @ 15% off for just this weekend! Have you seen all the latest at Simply for Giggles? We've got new things arriving daily! It's the perfect chance to see what's new in addition to 15% off on an old favorite and a (we hope!) new favorite!

TRUNK SHOW HOURS:

SATURDAY: East Village 10am-5pm
400 East Locust #1, Des Moines ph: 515-288-5437

SUNDAY: West Glen Noon-4pm
5525 Mills Civic Parkway #105 ph: 515-564-7222

The Spring '09 issue of Small is finished - check it out! Is it me or is this just one of the best kid zines ever?

LMNOP Issue 6 is available - go check it out!  Is it just me or is this just one of the coolest kid zines ever?

  I love Mrs. Eliot Books.  Her Little Wooden Books are absolutely beautiful - they're not just for babies, but they're so nursery-worthy.  I think they're something that older children will treasure, as well.

I think every boy and girl deserves a quilt made from Kelly McCaleb Designs' pattern (it's adorable!), but while I'm at it, the ballerina slippers and earrings are too cute not to share. - good to keep in your back pocket, if you don't need them quite yet.

Pick a personalized silhouette print or choose from one of the cute stock prints in Nella Designs' shop.  She's also a great go-to gal for personalized notes, recipe cards and invitations.

I adore Marjji's cheerful kittys - a fairly new discovery for me.  I love how they look like they're blissfully warming themselves in  the sun.  I also love their real cat colors (my Siamese Calico mix looks ljust ike the one on the far right). At 8" tall, they're perfect for a book shelf or window sill.  They're made to be more of an art piece than a baby play toy, but they're certain to become a lifetime friend.

I think you can adapt this idea: Pre-printed heart shapes to color within, cut out, laminate with a laminate machine or iron-on laminate sheets, glue magnet to the back.  This original idea calls for painting right on magnetic sheets - prohibitive, perhaps, for a classroom unless you were able to pre-cut.

Valentine's version of the Purl Bee wall hanging - let kids draw on fabric - use markers or even regular crayons.  Stretch in a hoop "frame," add a bow and give.

Make a heart stamp dishtowel - plain dish towels can be found a t a lot of groceries and craft shops.  Get some fabric paint, a potato, a stamp or even carve a Speedball pad to block print on the fabric.  I like the idea of birds and hearts together and pre-cut rubber stamps are great for this type of image layering. [1. & 2. Three Potato Four (click photo to visit this super cool site); 3. Fisk & Fern (again, click the photo)

Two years! I can't believe it. I sent a note to Squarespace and had to look up my start date - December 31, 2006. I can't believe it.

That I started this two years ago inpsires me to be a better caretaker - blog way more often. When I started, there were so few blogs, and really hardly any "mommy" blogs - I think Breed 'Em and Weep and Dooce were it. OK, there were more, but really, it was a ghost town. I wanted a place just for new Des Moines moms and dads to get info about fun kid stuff. That was it. I had a hard time finding out about schools, parties, events, lessons, etc. and wanted a place to share all this info with my fellow Des Moines parents.

That idea must have been on a lot of minds. Not long after, Des Moines Families got started and not too long after that, The Des Moines Register launched their own "mommy" channel. It was a huge downer - I felt like giving up. I didn't think I could compete with the register and I didn't want to be in competition with another events blog. I felt like quit, but instead, I changed up the focus a bit and started yet another blog. Now I can't keep up with either.

Seeing that start date is the kick I need. I have some new ideas for both small.town.fun. and Gussied Up, so please keep me on your radar - I think you're gonna like what I'm cooking. Get our feeds or become a Gussied Up fan on Facebook, so you don't miss it. I'm not promising the stars, but I'm definitely reaching up.

This by KarensJilly - a really good photographer - and apparently, a really good decorator, too. Pay attention to the details if you're thinking about using this as inspiration - it's a combination of very few colorways divided masterfully over a very small space. The design works great for a girl's or a boy's room, and if you want a monotone room, try choosing your paint colors off a single multi-toned paint chip - you know the long ones with several colors all together. 

Click the photo or links if you want to see another shot (and some more seriously great photography).

Much thanks to Rubin Recommends (my new fav blog).

Oh, PS...

This morning, he told me that on Nick there's something called Kids Pick the President.*

If your child is old enough to understand even just the basics (and who isn't), involve them in a bit of what's going on right now.  It's a turbulent, but exciting time and kids seem to really like learning about the election.

In the meantime, I guess I should get him the Mnkr "I Wish I Could Vote" t-shirt above.  Thanks go to Wondertime magazine.

*Be warned, the Nick pages are ad-heavy, slow-loading and confusing as heck.  The voting page only showed up when I scrolled down a bit.  That said, our son mastered the mouse and space bar playing Wow, Wow Wubzy and SpongeBob games.