My Other Bag: Thank you mom (and STAR Magazine!)

At the supermarket checkout, we want to look inside that Star Magazine and see what Brad and Angelina and Kate and Prince William are up to....but what if someone sees us??       Luckily, some of us have moms who buy it,  or even better subscribe to it.    Definitely something to read in the comfort of your own home.       Articles with a shred of truth and bogus ads for things like diet pills and other items that probably don't work.      You think, WHO advertises here????  

I will tell you who advertised here and thank goodness she did.       My Other Bag (www.myotherbag.com) or for those on twitter #myotherbag (Hope I did that right!)

We all love bags.     Big, small, expensive, inexpensive, even fake bags.    I checked out this site and thought, how cute, I want this bag.    I ordered the Louis Vuitton checkerboard, white-on-white and when it was delivered, it was BLUE AND WHITE.....Strange.

I called the number to find out why this was BLUE when the original bag is white/white and not blue.   The person who answered the phone....Tara.   The founder.   Yes, the founder herself answered the call, discussed the blue/white situation with me and offered me the option to return my bag for the brown one.   We got to talking and I thought, wow-- need to blog about her, follow her on twitter, and so on-- because it was truly amazing to get the real founder/CEO/CFO/president on the line, as easily as I did.   We chatted for a bit and I mentioned my blog, and found out a little about her-- how she started this on her own and how she enjoys chatting w her customers.      Factory  is in LA, but her operation is run out of adorable beach town Manhattan Beach   :-)

Check out my friend Tara's page.     The price point is around $30 per bag and works out to be a great gift for someone.    I love mine.        Promised Tara I would blog and tag her on twitter so if you want to follow her on twitter, feel free.  

My Other Bag
#myotherbag

Check it out--    Perfect for the summer.      Thanks Tara.   Nice meeting you by phone.  xoxo

iPhone app: Mosaic Photo Book $20 for 20 iPhone pics

So we all love a great bargain.   At least once a week, you are sure to find a groupon/deal for a photo book or better yet a photo canvas.     Without a doubt, the picture you will want to use for the canvas is not a large enough file and comes out grainy.....and really who has the wall space to hang giant canvas photos?  I think those are definitely impulse buys.  No one I know has them hanging around their houses.

The books-- a great deal, if you actually USE them; if you know how to use Picaboo or MyPublisher.     Most of us do not.  We are so excited by the $19 album of our trip to Disney that we buy it and guess what, we never use it?    I would love to research the numbers and find out how many unused groupon/coupon/deals there are that are left unredeemed.  

The trouble is that these sites are time consuming.  That's WHY they are on these sale sites.  They want to encourage people to use them instead of their usual user-friendly Shutterfly/Snapfish.    I will gladly pay the $40 for an album, to make it easier for myself.    Rarely does Shutterfly or Snapfish have to promote their photo books.

So....the next photo dilemma is that no one has pictures anywhere but their iPhones.  I love my iPhone but when running out the door to an event, I still bring my real camera.    However, some of the best pics are taken at a non-occasion, when the real camera is not there.    Kids walking hand in hand from the playground, your daughter reading her favorite book on the couch, when the camera is not recharged (annoying) and all you have is the almighty iPhone and thank God for it, or else you would not have had the chance to take that photo!

Well what do you do with them on the phone?  Email them to people, mobile upload them to Twitter or Facebook but somehow, poor Grandma and Grandpa never seem to have them in their wallets because they are not keeping up with the digital age.    The nice people print them for the old folks, but really, one at a time?  Who can be bothered?

Last week I found MOSAIC.  It is an iPhone app that lets you make a small album with 20 pictures for 20 bucks!     You do NOT have to go to the actual desktop computer to do it.   It is as easy as uploading 20 photos to a share site.     Open the app, create book, add 20 of your favorites, order it, pay and it arrives at your house.      Some might say, "but Picaboo gives you 20 collage pages for $14.99!"   I will pay the extra $5 and make my book from the comfort of my own bed.  Seriously, my first book was made late at night, under my blankets before going to sleep and I would not blog about it until I received it and made sure it was not a piece of junk!   I thought it was too good to be true.  

The book is 7x7 and has a nice cover, delivered in a nice neutral colored box, quickly.     So instead of bringing great-grandma an envelope of 10 photos, bring her a nice book of 20 pics every 6 mos.    Without sounding morbid, she will give them back to you someday....you know, when she is no longer here....sorry, but it is true.     You will receive all of your photos back in chronological order and since there are only 20, you will narrow it down to the best 20 pics you have on your phone.  

So so easy---  and nice quality-- for twenty bucks!!      

Mosaic: iPhone App for Photo Books for $20!!!

Tweet Tweet-- Follow me on Twitter

I always thought I loved Facebook.  Until I discovered Twitter.     Facebook allows you to have fun with friends, mostly real and few that are not real.  By real, "real life" people you actually know and are connected with.   On Facebook I would say I am real friends with 90% of my friends and the other 10% are sort of friends, people I know through others, have friended after meeting at a wedding or a shower, knowing that pictures can be shared easily and that you will be in the same company with again so why not be Facebook friends?

The opposite is true of Twitter.   I think the 90/10 Facebook is 10/90 on Twitter.   I do not personally "know" 90% of the people on Twitter because we are not friends, nor do we pretend to be.   We follow each other.    It's a two way street.    Followers are not in secret (Facebook stalking not required) and it is fine to follow people that you don't know and you can follow the people they follow and so on.    Sometimes I think I like my Twitter friends (oops, followers!) more than I like my Facebook friends.    

So if you have not already, follow me on Twitter and of course, I will follow you too.   ;-)  

Pottery Barn Kids: Favorite Books

Somehow, Pottery Barn has a favorite book list.   A furniture store suggesting books....Unusual, to say the least.    It reminds me of when Madonna decided to write books for children because there was nothing of quality for her children to read.    As if she is one to know quality reading because she is a pop star/celebrity??     Whatevs...

Regardless, there are always good titles among every list.    I am curious to know who is making this decision in the HQ at Pottery Barn, but will share anyway.      Could be a good baby shower gift, for siblings of the new baby..... for them to read to their brother/sister when they arrive.    

While I never "negative-blog"(not even sure if that is a real word/term) I try to find the positive in all things.  Plus it gave me an occasion to share a cute pic of Linus and Charlie Brown reading together.  

1. Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly 
2. Llama Llama Wakey-Wake 
3. Olivia 
4. Shake It Up Baby! 
5. Madeline 
6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar's Finger Puppet Book 
7. Curious George Counting 
8. How Do Dinosaurs Count to
   Ten? 
9. Barnyard Dance! 
10. In My Ocean 
11. Princess Baby 
12. Toes, Ears, & Nose 
13. Twinkle Toes 
14. Little Shark: Finger Puppet
    Book 

1. Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid
   Ballet 
2. Llama Llama Red Pajama 
3. Olivia and the Fairy Princesses 
4. What Brothers/Sisters Do Best 
5. Madeline 
6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar 
7. Curious George 
8. How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love
   You 
9. The Giving Tree 
10. The Rainbow Fish 
11. The Very Fairy Princess 
12. You Think It's Easy Being the
    Tooth Fairy? 
13. Miss Lina's Ballerinas 
14. A Pirate's Guide to First Grade 

The Ice Cream Man.....It's all about the timing.

We have all had that moment.      Picking up at one activity, getting kids to the next, rounding them all up when they hear 

that sound.   The sound of the ice cream man.   Every kid flocks to the truck and every mom is thinking......Just what I need.    Could there be a worse time?

Then there is the afternoon with no activities planned, a couple of moms decide to meet up at the park and enjoy the day outside with the kids and you think, "Well, this would be a great time for the ice cream man to show up."   You start thinking that if it does show up, you might even get something for yourself and it still doesn't show up and that you will treat all the kids to ice cream if it arrives.   You keep listening and hoping to hear that jingle.    No ice cream man.   

It's like anything else-- when you need it, it's not there and when you don't want it there, it's Mister Softee, followed by the Good Humor Man followed by the Mr. Softee lady, which is always a surprise to see.     

This truck, Miami Ice is available for large play dates, on call, for a birthday party, a sporting event, etc.    Just call Mike and he will be there.   Prices range $1.50-$4.50 but he will offer items under a certain price point if a parent requests.    Most kids prefer ice cream over cupcakes or cake anyway!     

Now I just need an occasion to book it.   

Patriotic Clothing for Kids

    

  

There is nothing more appropriate for a gift for kids than patriotic clothing.
Especially at this time of year.   What is today's date?    May 20th?  
We have Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th and Labor Day.  

 It is something I buy for almost everyone
during the spring, knowing that there are 4 opportunities
 for kids to wear these items between now and the fall.

Right now Hanna Andersson has $19 dresses for girls.  


Regularly $28, now $19 for girls.   Love this dress.

Simple but pretty and not something you would expect parents to buy for their kids.      While we all have our backgrounds, Italian American, Irish American, whatever.....these are great for kids to wear for FOUR occasions between May and Sept.   A great gift.






Also from Hanna Andersson...... pajamas.  
Regularly $36--- Now $30.     Love them.

A little pricey for a bathing suit-- $38......but adorable.

Carters Outlet has some great patriotic bathing suits for a lot less

Speaking of Carters....How cute are these?      More affordable.    

Emma's Faves.....Inspirational Bangles

We all have a favorite saying or a motto that completely comes back to us over and over.    My mom always said "Everything happens for a reason."   As I have grown older, I find myself saying the same thing.    While I am not super religious, I am a spiritual person, who believes in something/someone higher than ourselves.   I believe that there is a plan and that timing is everything.   I believe that we are meant to meet people when we meet them, believe that paths cross the way they are supposed to and that regardless of our religious beliefs, we are guided by something that leads us to the right choices and decisions.     This is why these bangles are an Emma Fave........$45 I think.....and very meaningful.