Through my constant networking I have met some brilliant people. Recently I “chatted” with a woman who tops the charts when it comes to an all around funny and passionate mother and author. Sharing her book with you today is a joy for me! This delightful book will be your next parenting purchase, especially if you are so sick of the boring step by step parenting and pregnancy how to books.

Jenna McCarthy’s book “The Parent Trip” had me hysterical after only a few pages! Jenna vocalizes {in a creative and humorous way} concerns all first time parents have. “From high heels and parties to highchairs and potties”, that’s scary!! Having gone through the baby making, pregnancy, and aftermath saga 3 times now, I wish I would have had this book to read the first time around. It would have made me feel more sane and comforted that I was not the only woman on the planet feeling like a crazy prego! And what pregnant woman or new mommy doesn’t need a laugh or two. Trust me, you’ll get a TON of laughs out of this book, Jenna has wrote a page turner!

Guest Editor Julie O. had this to say about “The Parent Trip”:

” The Parent Trip is a hilarious read from start to finish. As a first time mother to be, I couldn’t wait to read this book. From Jenna’s contemplating pregnancy, then getting pregnant, then tending to her new born daughter Sophie, she highlights the highs and lows along with everything in between. Also she has great tips and advice for all moms and moms-to-be. A must read, couldn’t put it down! Her honesty and insight, will keep you laughing from the moment you start reading it.”

This is Jenna’s first book {here’s hoping there’s more to come!}. Read excerpts, Jenna’s bio {which in itself is funny}, and more at her website. Oh and of course buy the book with 20% off for our readers with the code “babyluxedaily”. Buy 2 or more and receive free shipping in the US as well, so stock up for your friends!

OR try your luck at winning a copy! Read the 4 excerpts on Jenna’s site, after you’re done laughing come back and comment to us your favorite! Good luck! Contest ends September 12th {which will be my 30th birthday!}

Though we usually portray all of our designer’s in the light of a “baby” luxury, today I am posting from another perspective! With two boys in the house {well three if you count my husband} there’s not a whole lot of femininity floating around here. Everything has always been just so neutral or primary. And frankly, it was getting to me. Enough so, that I kicked the baby out of his nursery & sent him to bunk with his big brother, to give myself my own room. Selfish? Maybe so, but we all have our own priorities right? Well, the good news is, the boys love being together!

Anyway, I converted his room into my own artistic haven; a place where I can go to get away from it all & to be inspired to write & design stationery & when time allows, curl up with a great book. So when a Peace Lily Designs crane mobile landed on my doorstep, it was simply a given that it would go into my room; and not my kids. Packaged ever so perfectly, I pulled out the delicate mobile & was mesmerized by its beauty, its artistic nature & its quality hand craftsmanship.

Peace Lily Designs is a blossoming home based business started by a husband and wife team who were looking for a way to create an artistic environment for their daughter. They create handcrafted origami mobiles that can be used to bring peace and joy into baby’s nursery or any part of the home. Using a wide variety of handmade & recycled papers & gemstone beads Peace Lily Designs is able to create one of a kind works of art that anyone would treasure for years to come!

Peace Lily Designs offers many colors & size combinations, and they have decorative mobiles appropriate for wedding gifts, baby gifts & home decor. They love taking custom orders as well! They are offering a generous 20% off for all BabyLuxe {daily} readers, with the code “BabyLuxe”. Just leave it in the comments!

They have several web sites where you can see many different photo galleries, so be sure to check them all out:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5261174

http://peacelilydesigns.com

http://peacelilydesigns.blogspot.com

KidLuxe Edition

Are you or your kids looking for a way to make a bold statement with their bedroom, but you’d rather not deck the walls with licensed tv & movie characters? Then Olive Kids is for you! Here’s a fun collection of bedding and accessories that will inspire creativity and playfulness to any child’s bedroom. With themes that your children have come to know and love, such as pirates, trains, flowers, tea parties & more, there is sure to be something available for the discerning taste of every child!

We just recently moved the baby into our older son’s room, to make room for an additional home office & we were looking to coordinate the crib bedding with my older son’s already decked out sports bedroom. Olive Kids came through with a playful variation on the all-star sports theme, called Game On, & now their room couldn’t be more adorable { and coordinated}! We’ve used & washed the bedding already, and the sheets & comforter are softer than ever!

Olive Kids offers incredible pricing on all of their products, which is especially great for those of you who’s kids change their taste every year! Along with all of the bedding necessities, you will also find wall art, growth charts, throw pillows, clocks, knobs & pulls, window treatments, rugs & more, all perfectly coordinated to pull off a fantastic bedroom for your child! Oh, and did I mention that they have infant bedding too?

Olive Kids is offering a great KidLuxe Reader’s Choice giveaway today to one lucky reader. Simply enter a comment here, about your favorite Olive Kids collection, and be entered to win your choice of a personalized name tag, bookmark & placemat: perfect for back to school!  Contest ends in one week, on September 10th!

Also, take 10% off your entire order by entering “bluxed93″ in the comments section of your order!

It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to this luxury linen line complete with accessories!  Looking to create a nursery to cherish for years, want to redo the boring nursery you have now, or new ideas for some purely luxurious gifts…here you go, Jill Northam London.

These collections are just classic, traditional, and simply beautiful!   Jill Northam London specializes in exquisitie fabrics and wallpapers for the home, and for the ever so important nursery.  When our package arrived with 4 breath taking pieces, I was completely hooked!  The Giraffe Family collection is my all time favorite!  It’s such a traditional, yet modern look, {if that makes any sense!}

Create an entire room for your precious child all from one site; from the curtains to the diaper stacker, lamp shades to crib bumpers, memo boards to bean bags; everything you need for a complete tasteful English look.  All items are handmade by a seamstress using some of the cutest, most elegant fabric designs…sailboats and sailors, nostalgic storybook prints, falling hearts or dainty buds, all will bring such an innocent feel to any room, and that’s what you want a nursery to be, as innocent and delicate as the child who sleeps and plays there.

Nappy Stacker

Wallpaper

I wish I could share every picture on the Jill Northam London site with you!  You’ll have to go on for yourself to see the rest.  Purely Luxurious!  Oh while you are there, redo the kids bathroom or playroom or get some items for the beach, they have so much to offer!

No post today, we’re going to enjoy the day with our kids!  Enjoy your holiday, get to the pool one last time!

We’ll be back tomorrow with more luxe finds!

Yes, we know it’s the weekend, and no we don’t normally post on the weekends…. But this is one story that we felt compelled to share with you, our readers; and there’s no better time than today to do so. With the power of the internet & our keyboard, we hope that we can encourage more support for this cause.

We just received word from Whitney at The Silly Wagon about this horrific accident that happened to well-known blogger, Stephanie Nielson & her husband Christian. You may know Stephanie from her blog, the Nie Nie Dialogues or her beautiful home tour that appeared in Cookie Magazine. They were in a plane crash Saturday, August 16th, in eastern Arizona. Stephanie and Christian both remain in critical condition while their 4 small children are being cared for by friends & relatives. Stephanie has third degree burns covering 80% of her body, while Christian has third degree burns covering 30% of his body.  Their recovery is going to be very long and very expensive, likely reaching the millions.

This weekend, bloggers world-wide, are hosting silent auctions and/or spreading the word about how you can donate to the Stephanie and Christian Paypal Fund. A list of all the auctions can be found at Design Mom. You will find over 300 auctions in total, in nearly every category you can think of. Many businesses are donating a portion of their sales to the fund as well. Design Mom has all of these specific shops listed on her site as well.

Check out the Nie Recovery blog to see other ways you can help as well.

Tangled & True is hosting eleven auctions from The Silly Wagon, along with local photography sessions & other baby & child related goodness.

Please, if you don’t do anything else productive this weekend, take a minute & check it out.   Spread the word to your email contacts if you can.  It is truly inspiring to see how the world can come together and connect in support of such a personal tragedy as this.

As a woman I LOVE shoes, but now that I have kids, I’m no longer allowed to buy {or even look at} all the trendy styles out there, so my focus has turned to all the adorable children shoe designs!  I may not be able to strut in eye catching heels anymore but my kids will sure make statements with all their creative and funky shoes {I am living a life of shoe envy}, especially with our new pair of KaBoogie Shoes!

Soft soled, fabric shoes, handmade by one fabulous woman to reflect your child’s {and in my case, mommy’s} taste for cute and funky styles!  Audrey, maker of KaBoogie Shoes, searches high and low for those special fabrics to create special shoes!  Suede or leather, wool or fleece, these itty bitty shoes are meant to be worn AND adored by all!

For your little love bug, how stinkin’ cute are these lady bug shoes! Think dress up, think Halloween, I’ll say what I always say, just one more thing to make me long for a little girl!

Look at this longies matching set!  Cold weather will soon be upon us and your little one will stay cozy warm, but still fashionable in this set.  Check out KaBoogie Shoes at their Etsy shop, pick something up for your boogie baby!

Hats are accessories for any season; whether it’s shielding the eyes and head from the sun or for warmth in the cold, there’s always a reason for the little ones to wear stylish hats.  Stylish is the key word there!  There is no reason for frumpy hat wearing when there’s a company out there like The Little Hat Company!

“Put a Lid on your Kid”

The stroller lids offered by The Little Hat Company are so precious for boys and girls, for causal or dressy.

Here’s a little something from our guest editor Erin V.:

“I recently tried the “Sweet Pea” hat from The Little Hat Company for my little girl and what a great find!  The designs from this company are so varied; you have many options to choose from and the durable fabric is perfect for my rough and tumble toddler!  The hat offers style without a lot of the ornate pins or decorations (which my daughter is quick to pull off of other hats and put in her mouth).  It has a simple pretty design and a flat bow with button center.  The hat has a nice thick fabric which keeps heads cozy in the Spring and Fall chill with a nice sized brim to shade young eyes.  And, the best part (to my surprise) it stayed snug on my daughter’s head and she didn’t constantly pull at it to take it off!” 

Even for the tiniest little heads, Preemies need alot of warmth and a perfect fit when it comes to hats {and they are not exempted from style}.

Play around with your child’s look, they too need accessories that are fashionable and practical.  The handcrafted products at The Little Hat Company will help you complete any outfit.  I believe hats, lids, caps, whatever you want to call them, show a child’s personality and creativity.  Here’s a creative one for you:   Strawberry Patch!

Stock up now!  Buy one get one free on all Stroller Lids for a limited time at The Little Hat Company!

Kidluxe Edition

A bit of a twist on this feature, not often do we review food products but to promote healthy snacks for healthy kids we made an exception.

Kids are picky, am I right?  It’s every parents compliant; they just can’t get their kids to eat healthy snacks or veggies, us parents need to be sneaky about it!  Puree spinach on their pizza, switch from white to wheat {pasta, bread, crackers, etc…}, and now, take away the sugary ice cream and try Hola Fruta!

Little ones do seem to like fruit, and what better way to cool them off; a bowl or bar of tasty, healthy Hola Fruta Sherbet.  With real fruit pieces mixed in, low in fat, low in cholesterol, low in calories, it’s perfect for anyone in the family to enjoy a healthily treat!  My fav, Margarita flavor!  My kids love the Pomegranate-Blueberry bars.  Other flavors:  Peach, Pina Colada, Strawberry, Raspberry, Pomegranate, and Mango.

I have 3 YUMMY recipes to share with you for when you pick up some Hola Fruta for your family the next time you are at Lowes Foods, Kroger, GIANT, and many more {check the website to find a store near you}!

¡Hola Fruta!™ All-American Sherbet Pie
Serves 8
Ingredients:
One 9-inch cookie crumb pie shell
1 Quart Strawberry ¡Hola Fruta! Sherbet
1 Quart Pomegranate Blueberry ¡Hola Fruta! Sherbet
1 56oz. Vanilla Ice Cream
1 Container Whipped Cream or Whipped Topping
1 Pint each Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries

Freeze the crusts for at least 30 minutes to firm them before filling. 
Slightly soften the ¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet in the refrigerator before scooping.  (Approximately 10 – 20 minutes.)
Place  4 scoops of ¡Hola Fruta!™ Strawberry Sherbet into a bowl.
Whip Sherbet with rubber spatula to make spreadable
Spread Strawberry ¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet into pie crust.
Return pie crust with Strawberry ¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet to freezer for 10 Minutes
Repeat process for Vanilla and Pomegranate Blueberry ¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet to create a Red, White and Blue festive layered pie
Before serving, allow the pies to soften approximately 15 to 20 minutes in the refrigerator, or 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature for best flavor and texture.
Slice pie and top with a dollop of whipped cream and fresh berries!

Lady Bug Dessert
Serves 1

INGREDIENTS:
1 pint Mango ¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet
1/8 cup of mini chocolate chips, raisins or M & M’s
Black Shoestring licorice

Place one large scoop of ¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet onto a plate or bowl.  This will be the lady bug body.
Place a tiny scoop next to the large scoop.  This will be the lady bug head.
Create spots on your lady bug by placing raisins, mini chocolate chips or M & M’s on top.
Place two raisins, chocolate chips or M & M’s on both sides of the “body” to create legs.
Cut 2 pieces of 1” long black shoe string licorice and place in top of the head as antennae.

¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet Parfait
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream
1 pint Pomegranate ¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet
1 cup fruit topping (raspberry, blueberry, strawberry or cherry)
Whipped Cream or Whipped Topping
Optional Garnish – fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberry or cherry.

Chill four parfait dishes.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of topping into chilled dishes.
Add 1 scoop of ¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet into each.
Top with another tablespoon of topping.
Add 1 scoop of ice cream into each, and top with another tablespoon of sauce.
Finish with a third scoop of ¡Hola Fruta!™ Sherbet.
Then, add a dollop of whipped cream or whipped topping to each parfait.
Garnish with a fresh strawberry, raspberry or cherry.

ENJOY!

If your group of friends & family is anything like mine, then you certainly know what it’s like to get a new birth announcement in the mail every other week! Eventually, like me, you’re bound to run out of magnets, and even possibly tape for displaying all those beautiful babies on your fridge. This great little company has come along to solve that problem in the most practical way possible; introducing Stork Magnets!

Choose from a huge selection of premade announcement designs, or if you are creatively inclined, upload your own design. Use their user-friendly interactive web site, to do all your customizing right on the site. No need to wait for proofs when you can do it all yourself. Simply upload your pictures, and see the results immediately. Four days later, your order will be shipped. What will arrive on your doorstep, is your own little bundle of joy, professionally printed & magnetized for all the world to see.

Looking for something more unique, but don’t have the expertise to design it yourself? Enlist their sister company 304 Media, to design something special just for you!

Don’t have a new baby to announce? Well what about your “other” baby; your furry little companion? Stork Magnets has some of the most precious pet announcements I have ever seen!

Stork Magnets are produced on high quality 4×6 glossy, satin material. With the magnet already on the backside, your recipients will have no reason to ever remove your birth announcement from their refrigerator.

BabyLuxe readers will get 15 FREE magnets with any purchase, simply by entering “BABYLUXERULES” at checkout. I love that code…