This gift list comes courtesy of our much-loved, contributing author, J. J is the one who found Maura Daniel's amazing nursery lighting, and Avalisa's modern nursery art. J, a self-confessed fuzzy croc wearer, is also someone I turn to for inspiration. She's never fancy or frou-frou...but I can always count on J to help focus my attention on something...
While a backlit digital watch is not my favorite accessory (for those, click here), there are a lot of digital watches out there that can be worn beyond the darkened room of your babe. A good rule of thumb for wearing a digi is to embrace the inherent awkwardness and in fact enhance it by going with something chunky and larger-scale, thereby making it cool. Digis only look truly lame when you're wearing a diminutive ladies' version, which generally have no sense of irony. Check out these cute and styley options in order of price, lowest to highest.
Crackling fire: check. Hot cider and/or spiked eggnog: check. Good book to curl up with: check. Now, what’s keeping those tootsies cozy whilst you partake in all that wintery snow-day goodness? It’s time to update your slipper wardrobe, girl. You don’t want those little piggies getting caught out in the cold! Here are the seasons’ hottest slipper picks.
One of my pet peeves as a mom is that every company designing items for baby seems to think that babies require bright colors, happy faces, and perky puppies/kittens/trucks/flowers on everything. So I have to wonder: do these people even have children? My son can't be the only kid who is completely obsessed with my plain-Jane car keys...
Because we were relying on swaddling as a method to keep our sanity in those early days, we wasted a ton of money trying every swaddling blanket under the sun. We tried various sleep sacks (too roomy - he'd wake too early), "miracle" swaddling blankets (too thick, too hot) and an assortment of others (most were the wrong size and he would wiggle out, or they would cover his face). Then we discovered Aden + Anais.
But in order to recommend fine art photography to Ain't No Mom Jean readers, I wanted to be able to describe - in detail - why fine art photography is worth the additional cost. So I went back to the source and asked our photographer, Melanie. Here's what she has to say:
Melanie: I frequently get asked, "So, what is the difference between fine art portrait photography and Picture People?" Honestly, it's a fair question. I've been a portrait photographer for over 20 years, and I've had plenty of opportunity to think through the differences. Here are a few reasons why fine art portrait photography is well worth the investment . . .
All Moms want/need/must have time off, time to themselves. So on Mother's Day, treat her with a day all to herself. Here's how it works: Choose the day (it doesn't need to actually be on Mother's Day). Wrap up a Mother's Day gift of cozy-but-fabulous spring loungewear. (NOTE: This is NOT lingerie - the goal is comfy and cool not sex-pot. You want her to feel beautiful and relaxed, not guilty because the last thing she wants to do is throw on that bustier). Throw in a great book or trashy magazine. Then, when the day arrives, make sure the house is picked up, and take the kids OUT OF THE HOUSE. Otherwise, despite your very best efforts they will still find their way over to mom. When you return...voila! A happy, relaxed mom. And we all know that happy mom = happy family.
Here are my favorite comfy-cool Spring loungewear picks:
This used to be an oxymoron, I know. But mom jewelry has come a long way from the multi-birthstone necklace or a cheesy "World's Greatest Mom" locket. There are many options for mom jewelry that are just plain cool. Here are my favorites:
Moms - do yourself and your man a favor. Forward this link to him.Dads/Partners -- All year long, the mother of your children wipes noses, kisses knees, comforts crying, changes diapers, feeds, hugs and loves your children. She also has sex with you. This Christmas, thank her for all that she does by getting her a real gift. A...
If you’re a mom, chances are that “the girls” have been through a lot lately. Even if you didn’t breastfeed, you still had to deal with watching them rise to horrific proportions when pregnant, leaking milk, soreness, and slapping your husband’s hand away when they became engorged. If you did (or currently are) breastfeeding, add bad latching, letdown, teething...