TOMS shoes

We are proud to be part of the new TOMS affiliate program. Click on any TOMS shoe banner on our sites and you will be directed to the official TOMS shoe store. If by now you haven't heard of TOMS shoes yet, let us explain how awesome this company is.

One for One

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purch

Our Story

In 2006 an American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by caring TOMS customers.

Since our beginning, TOMS has given over 140,000* pairs of shoes to children in need through the One for One model. Because of your support, TOMS plans to give over 300,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world in 2009.

Our ongoing community events and Shoe Drop Tours allow TOMS supporters and enthusiasts to be part of our One for One movement. Join us.
Why shoes?

Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or just getting around, these children are at risk.

Walking is often the primary mode of transportation in developing countries. Children can walk for miles to get food, water, shelter and medical help. Wearing shoes literally enables them to walk distances that aren't possible barefoot.

Wearing shoes prevents feet from getting cuts and sores on unsafe roads and from contaminated soil. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected. The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation.

Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.

There is one simple solution...SHOES.

Of the planet's six billion people, four billion live in conditions inconceivable to many. Lets take a step towards a better tomorrow.

Silly Souls by Baby gags shoes

We now carry products by Silly Souls by Babygags inc. We are so excited about the shoes they design. They are just adorable. The shoes are made from natural materials. All shoes are made from PU athletic leather, vegan/no animal materials are used. The shoes are machine washable, which makes life very easy.

The models are cute. We have Dude, Diva, Rock Star, King and Rockettes. Normal retail price is $19.99, but we have them listed for $16.00.

Visit www.lunababyproducts.com and check them out!

Will I ever go to the movies again?

Why i even tried today, I don't know. Somehow I still had the belief going to movies with a 9 month old and a 4 yr old was going to work out. I should have seen the signs. My daughter wasn't feeling well this morning and Jae refused to take his nap and didn't my husband tell me 3 times to go see G force.

But no, I wanted to see Harry Potter (all 2.5 hours of it)and my daughter said she wanted to see it as well. I picked the 1230 showing at the small theater in downtown Saint Cloud. Thinking who is going to the movies on Friday that early. Well let me tell you a bunch of people happened to be thinking the same. My plan was that Luna would sit still and enjoy her drink and popcorn and Jae would eventually fall asleep and we could watch movie in peace. Was I wrong.....

Luna didn't sit for one minute and thought it would be great to swing from one to chair to the another and lie down on the floor. Jae had two poop diapers and that nap never happened. I must have fed him a half jar of baby puffs just to try to keep him quiet. After two hours of getting up and back down, trying to sooth Jae and quietly telling Luna please to behave and sit still in her chair I gave up. Not to mention the ladies behind asked me to leave the room since Jae started to cry. I really couldn't blame them for asking.

Neath less to say I never saw the end of the movie. I think I am 20 minutes short. Now we just have to wait to it comes out on DVD. Movie nights at home are more cheaper and more relaxed anyway.

Now I still need to take Luna on a Girl's night out to see G Force. At least I have only one child to worry about.

car trouble

I understand I normally blog about baby products, but I have to share my frustrations about my car issues. Right before we went on our family trip oversees my Mazda Protege5 broke down. Hubby was merging onto the highway when the engine started to stutter. Since we were only a couple days away from leaving for two weeks we did not bring it to the local car repair shop until after our return.

A little background on my car. I love my car and I am the original proud owner of this Mazda 2003. I never had any issues. All the trouble began last may when one of the spark plug blew. The repair shop did not have a good reason, but replaced all 4 plugs. Couple of months later the car acted up again. They replaced several parts that were related to the engine. They also found a mystery bolt and they told me they had no idea were it came from. . The car was running fine, so I did not think anything off it. I spend $2000 on the car and truly believed it would run for a long time.

Back to the present. After running some test's Andy's repair shop had the nerve to tell us we needed a complete new engine and by the way all the work they had done several months ago are not under warranty. My husband was very upset and we towed the car to the Mazda dealership. They told us the valve had a default error and in rare occasions will break and the bolt will get loose. They found 4 bolt in the manifold and that needed to be replaced. Still a costly repair, but it was better then replacing the whole engine. It also explained the spark plug issue from last May and the challenge in November with the mystery bolt inside the engine.

So last Thursday we picked up the car. I asked the service manager if there was anything I needed to know before I left the car lot. His suggestion a transmission flush with the next oil change, everything else was great. I didn't even made it home without the engine stuttering again. Mazda told us to replace the air boot. We picked up the part and installed it. Full anticipation we started the engine again. .......

It was still shaking. Today the mechanic stopped by the house to try to fix it on site with no luck. The car is towed back to Mazda. I did some researching on the web and come to find out there was a safety recall on the valve and the manifold. I contacted Mazda USA and am awaiting reply to see if Mazda is responsible for the initial costs of replacing the valve and manifold.

In the meanwhile I still have no car. Very Frustrating!!!!!

New Art

We talked about CICI Art factory before. We love Liz Clay's paintings especially made for kids.
n a world of mass production, Cici Art Factory pushes the boundaries of children's room décor. Inspiring and fresh paintings help parents stimulate children's imaginations and activate rooms with thought-provoking art.

We just added two new pieces to the Whit and Whimsy Collection. Dino and Hug are both beautiful and inspiring.

These paintings are 16"x16". These high-quality prints use up to 8 inks to achieve rich tonal values and colour breadth, ensuring the paint strokes look as realistic as possible. They're printed in Canada and mounted on stretcher frames made from BC lumber. These paintings come ready-to-hung.