MumsTheWurdUnique finds for hip parents and cool kids

There are so many new and exciting things going on over at Bee Simple (formerly Flip Flop Mamma’s Place).

I have started dabbling in children’s tees [$22] and have a couple of rockin’ designs, with a couple more taking shelter in my head for the time being. Currently the Little Monkey tee is only in pink, but will be coming in other trendy colors soon. Don’t ever be afraid of requesting a custom order!!

November is Prematurity Awareness Month and Bee Simple is donating 20% of all sales to Project X, a project that brings food and gifts to parents with babies in the NICU during the holidays.

We’ve introduced Shea Butter into our Bee Good To Your Body Butter, Bee Good To Your Body Lotion bar, Deodorants and Bee Good To Your Baby Butter. Shea Butter makes it so rich and creamy, your skin will beg you for it.

Right now all Fall/Winter scents are on sale in our Lotion bars and Lip Balms!! Don’t miss this chance to stock up for the winter. Yummy peppermint, Coffee and more!

If you would like to recieve Bee Simple Newsletters to keep up with anything new happening, Contact me flipflopmamma(at)gmail(dot)com with Subscribe in the subject box.

Not all genders are created equal when it comes to kids clothes.  I don’t know any actual statistics, but there are far more cool clothes out there for girls than there are boys.  Thank goodness for places like Georgie World that cater to the boys that need cool duds!  The current collection contains items like the unbelievably adorable Holiday Outfit and the super hip Birthday Party Outfit.  Noel, like any good child in our family, is proudly sporting his Tiki Shirt.  Georgie has t-shirts, button downs, pants & trousers, even swimwear you’ll flip over. Shop till you drop for your boys and get the Georgie goodness!

Sugarplum Dreams is a very lovely online boutique offering everything you could think of for your little one. From Lotions and Potions to Baby and Children’s furniture they’re bound to be a boutique that you have bookmarked. At Sugarplum Dreams you’ll be able to outfit and decorate your baby and your nursery. But don’t stop there! Have older children? Sugarplum Dreams hasn’t left them out. There are tons of imagination building, educational and just plain fun toys!

Not only do they have an extremely wide selection of items for your baby, but they are all about building relationships. They Strive for excellent customer service and welcome all inquiries, from questions about your purchase to potty training, they want to be there to support you in your motherhood journey.

Don’t miss out! Right now through December 31st get 15% off all purchases $50 or more using the code: MUMS15.

We are sad to announce that Fooey USA will be closing it’s virtual doors.  However, they are having a closeout sale that you won’t want to miss!  It’s all rad stuff, and it’s super cheap!  My mom got these shorts for Noel & Lennon (they won’t fit Noel next summer) for $8.99!  They are SOOOOO CUTE.  Fooey’s also got the best collection of shirts for kids and infants.  Some are as low as $3.99, people, but they won’t last!  Get over there, and say goodbye to one of the best stores out there.  Fooey, we are sorry to see you go!

On a sunnier note, Ashlee has come up with a new name for her store!  Nonny & Boo, formerly Nest Baby Sling, now offers even more great items, like wraps (that are the coolest EVER), hoodies, and plushies!  As usual, Ashlee’s wares are quite simply the coolest!  Pictured here, are Steph and Ivy in nonny & boo’s bamboo sling.  We have this sling, and Elliott and I share it.  We love it.  The fabric is light, but very strong, and it works well going out in the Texas heat.  We just heart the lady over at nonny & boo, and you will too.

Once again, we’re taking you back in time and re-introducing an old friend of MumsTheWurd!  Handpicked Pumpkin is one of our favorite custom baby clothiers.  Cozy, comfortable, and always fashionable, Allison’s clothes are sure to make your little guy or gal one happy explorer.  

I summed up Handpicked Pumpkin last year, and had this to say:

Fashionable clothes do not always equate to comfortable clothes, especially for the littler guys. They are exploring on the floor, and learning to walk, and while we want them to look cute, they also need to have the ability to move around without limitations that I often find with pants and jeans. That is why I am so glad to have discovered Hand Picked Pumpkin! Allison put together her love for unique style hand in hand with this concept, and this amazing children’s clothing line was born!

Here, Noel is sporting his Grady Overall Shorts. This is a perfect summer outfit! It’s comfortable, lightweight, and absolutely adorable. This is one of Allison’s ready-made creations, but you can also custom design ANYTHING in hershop! Whether you’re looking for a signature outfit, comfy bottoms, a gift set for a friend, you’re bound to find something perfect! There are great patterns and colors to choose from, especially if your heart belongs in the 50s and 60s! Polka dots and stripes are the name of the game at Hand Picked Pumpkin, where you’ll find many satisfied customers!

Allison also proudly donates 5% of her end of year profits to several fine charities-if you have one that’s close to your heart, you can email her to nominate your organization!

First of all, when was Noel ever that small???  You better believe I saved those adorable Grady overalls, and I’m already itching for Lennon to fit into them!  Handpicked Pumpkin has also ventured into the realm of toddler clothing too!  Ahhh…now the toddlers can look adorable and be comfy too! 

Allison joined us last night for our weekly MumsCast, and was informing us that not only has she kept all of her manufacturing in the USA, but she’s also kept it local-all Handpicked Pumpkin items are made right in the Chicago area!  

Allison and Handpicked Pumpkin are both awesome!  Be sure to head over and get some duds!

Chocolate Cake Club is not a bakery or a club. The online boutique with the evocative name seeks out the very best new items for kids and parents, the ones that make you feel like the girl with the most cake, so to speak. From baby gifts to slumber parties, Chocolate Cake Club has your gift-giving needs covered.

We got to try a couple of Chocolate Cake Club’s back to school essentials from their vast selection. They have backpacks, lunchbags, everything you can imagine to get your school year in gear. They even sent Roo her very first alarm clock! 

Hopefully the sheer sugary sweetness of the Cupcake Talking Alarm Clock will get her up and ready for preschool. Did I mention it talks? Instead of ringing or buzzing, the Cupcake Talking Alarm Clock says “Deeeee-licious!” in a kid’s voice. Roo finds it hilarious. I personally find it gratifying to hear her say “I stayed in my room until the little hand was on the 7!”

I got to try something for back to school, too! I’ve been eyeing MomAgenda’s gorgeous line of planners for a while but haven’t tried them because I always flake out after about a month of using planners. Sad but true. However, the MomAgenda Kitchen Folio is eminently usable, even for a haphazard organizer like myself. It’s basically a bound folio with vinyl sleeves to keep your important information (phone numbers, birthdays, take-out menus) close at hand. I love it. Such a simple concept, but so totally brilliant. And the MomAgenda Kitchen Folio is infinitely customizable, so you can stick whatever works for you right inside. I especially love that it is meant to live in your kitchen and be visible, so you can rest assured that your husband or 

babysitter (or kids, if they are older than mine!) will be able to find pertinent information in case you’re not around. As morbid as this might sound, my 

husband’s recent emergency appendectomy made me question what could happen to our household if something happened to me. Keeping the MomAgenda Kitchen Folio up to date certainly assuages some of my worries.

If you have need of a gift, or feel like getting something nice for yourself, I would heartily recommend Chocolate Cake Club. Bon appetit!

PeaceLoveMom is a cool little store that caters to all of us fun moms and our groovy kids.  They have lots, and lots, and LOTS of great T’s, belts, and jewelry that celebrate YOU, the mum!  They also create great shirts and bags and hats for children of all ages, because if it weren’t for them, we would have no reason to celebrate this amazing thing called “Motherhood”.  

Lori, Suzanne, and Karen are the moms that bring the creativity and quirkiness to PeaceLoveMom.  Coming from different backgrounds, they all bring together the common goal to celebrate moms and their kids.  

PeaceLoveMom sent Lennon this ADORABLE WonderBaby Onesie.  Obviously, he looks darling in it.  They also sent us one of their awesome PeaceLoveMom totes, that I gave to my tote-loving friend, Lisa.  Um, little does she know *ahem*, I took it with us to the pool before I gave it to her, and was able to carry all of our “extras”.  It’s big, and good for carting around snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses.  You could probably fit a magazine in it, but your chances of reading that magazine while at the pool with your kids?  None.  Well, now that some of the kiddies have gone back to school, we’re giving you a treat for all your hard work this summer…

PeaceLoveMom wants to give you a t-shirt and one of these great tote bags!   

WIN IT!

Email us to enter: mumsthewurd[at]gmail[dot]com and tell us what you like for you or your kids over at PeaceLoveMom.  Contest ends Saturday, September 10, 2008 at 10 PM CST. Winner will be chosen randomly and notified via email. Good Luck!!

We are excited to tell you a little more about the beautiful Ashlee Allen.  Since she was unable to podcast with us a few weeks ago, we sent her a couple of questions.  Here’s a little info about the Nest mama:

MTW: What inspired you to start nest?

Ashlee: I had always planned to wear my baby but when Xavier was born unexpectedly at 28 weeks I knew babywearing and kangaroo care would be critical. Through our journey I discovered that while there were many carriers I adored, I couldn’t find *the one*, so I made it! Nest as a business evolved from there.

MTW: What did you do before you became a “mompreneur”? How did you get started?

Ashlee: I’ve dabbled in many carrers other than mom - photography, psychology, advertising, yoga instructor, nanny and of course mama. After making slings for many friends and people I’d run into all over the place I realized my life would be easier if I had a place to send people. So after much research, I started designing and thanks to my sewing and my husband’s design skills nest was hatched.

MTW: Without giving away any of your “secrets”, where/how do you find the items for your store?

Ashlee: I lauch new collections in the spring and fall and am always on the look out new styles and fabric. One of my favorite things to do is scout out random fabric shops in person and online and I, of course, pay attention to the current fashion scene for inspiration.

MTW: What are some of your favorite items?

Ashlee: Our limited edition slings are always my favorite, the Heart Nouveau being my current favorite. The hatchlings are super cute and we actually have some items in production that I can’t wait to launch- I’m in love! ***I am too!  This is why we’re waiting to tell you about E$’s Sling!!!***

MTW: Tell us more about Project X.

Ashlee: Project X provides person to person support to NICU familes. As I mentioned before our son Xavier was born at 28 weeks and spent 6 weeks in NICU. It was a really terrifying time for us and the biggest help was talking to other people who had been there. We do a lot of one on one work, but our biggest event is Project Christmas, provinding a traditional Christmas dinner to all of the local NICU’s. We spent Xavier’s first Christmas in the hospital and having just a hint of normalcy would have made all the difference. Since our first year in 2006 we’ve had several sister programs launch in cities nationwide. 10% off all nest profits are donated directly to Project X.

MTW: Tell us a bit about you and your family!

Ashlee: I get to spend my days with my amazing 2 (going on 17) year old X and my super cool, artist husband David. When David’s not tattooing, I’m not sewing or blogging and X isn’t napping you’ll likely find us up to our eyebrows in paint or building some killer lego cities.

See what else Ashlee’s up to here, here, here, and here.

*Update: Congratulations to Melissa! She is our Nest Baby Sling winner and has been notified via email.

As we’ve talked about many times here on MTW, we think babywearing is pretty darn cool. I’ve been wearing Lennon since he was born, and he & I both love it. I even got my husband on board and got him is very own black sling to go with his black t & jeans uniform :). Through her blogs and twitter, we’ve gotten a chance to get to know a rad babywearer and sling maker extraordinaire, Ashlee Allen. Her sling store is Nest, and her designs are sure to please. E$ and I both dig our Nest slings! Here’s mine. It’s beautiful! Elliott’s, we will speak about soon…

Ashlee wants you to have one of her gorgeous slings for yourself.

WIN IT!

Email us at mumsthewurd [at] gmail [dot] com and tell us the name of Ashlee’s preemie project, which you can learn more about HERE.

This contest ends on Friday, June 20th. Winner will be chosen randomly, notified via email and announced here on Saturday.

We’ll tell you more about Ashlee and her boutique, “Nest” soon, but for now, enter the contest for one of Ashlee’s awesome slings! I totally love mine!

First, let’s take a moment to admire the adorableness…Ok, now on with the show!

Zoe & Sprout has a little bit of everything-eco-friendly, cheeky, & kitschy (for twins too!), to name a few. Pictured, is Noel in his “I Shot JR” shirt, and Lennon in his “Still Mad at Yoko” shirt. I love these shirts! Rarely do you get a reference to Dallas in children’s attire!

Zoe & Sprout not only want to bring you great shirts, they want to make sure you and Earth stay happy. Amanda, the brains behind the operation, will guarantee your satisfaction, and she’s committed to making the environment healthy, donating 3% of Zoe & Sprout’s profits to Keep America Beautiful.

If you see something you like, you’ll even get a big ol’ discount. Zoe & Sprout has offered Mums the Wurd readers a coupon code: MTW2008, good for 20% off of your entire purchase!