Here are a few that I’m considering that look like fun:

1. Step2 Tropical Island Resort

2.Step2 Adjustable Sand and Water Table, Tan/Maroon/Blue

3. Step2 Sand and Water Fun Farm

4. Little Tikes Anchors Away Water Play Table

5. Little Tikes Anchors Away Pirate Ship

6. Shady Oasis Sand and Water Play Table

7. Step2 Splash & Scoop Bay with Umbrella

We are so excited summer is almost here!  I’m sort of leaning towards the pirate ship because it has so many gadgets and it’s a pirate ship.  I’ll let y’all know which one we choose and do a review soon!

Black and White Striped Chair from Serena and Lilly :: Peacock Art from Serena and Lilly :: Safety Pin Art from Serena and Lilly :: White Garden Stool from Belle and June :: Blue Canton Tea Caddy Lamp from Belle and June :: Black and White crib from Layla Grayce

Chic and polished, black and white is the ultimate in high style. For a posh little tot with a mama that loves Park Avenue formal decor, these accessories would make a gorgeous nursery. I'd paint the walls Jamaican Aqua, a signature color of The Greenbrier.

The bold stripes on the chair would give the nursery a strong anchor for the rest of the style elements. It's actually an outdoor chair covered in Sunbrella fabric so it's durable and gorgeous. Of course, this chair could be used in many rooms around the house (or outside!) when baby outgrows the beautiful black and white crib and is ready to transition to a big girl/boy bed – and that crib converts to a beautiful bed which you can see here.

I absolutely love the artwork – the peacock is whimsical, charming, and sophisticated all at the same time. And the graphic black safety pin is a fun piece of artwork for a nursery.

I'm a big fan of garden stools and I love chinese blue and white accesories, and this little lamp paired with the pretty white garden stool from Belle and June really would give a clean and modern look to a nook in the nursery.

Want more nursery decorating tips? Check out my nursery decor posts.

Invitations from Tinyprints :: Mustache sticks on Amazon :: Turquoise striped straws on Amazon :: Dapper 'Staches Silicone Drink Markers on Amazon

Move over, Movember, mustaches are chic for the summer. And that mustache baby shower invitation is hilarious. What a great theme! Guests can have fun with the photo mustache props and the cocktail glass mustache decals. And, of course the retro straws can give a sophisticated touch to the affair. Whimsical mustaches for a baby shower is the perfect theme for a mom-to-be that has a sense of humor.

PS- I've seen mustaches on jewelry and scarves in stores lately. This appears to be a cool and not creepy trend!

A message for my hubs: I encourage mustaches in the graphic form only. Not a fan of the real deal.

So we got this streaming thing – the Roku – and we've turned on cable about 4 times since January. (We still have to make the final step and actually cancel cable.)



Here's the thing – you choose what you want to watch, when you want to watch it. The only shows I don't want to wait for – Mad Men and Downton Abbey – I can download via Amazon, and it's not nearly as expensive as our cable bill.

These are the channels we use the most:

• If you have Amazon Prime, you get access to a TON of movies and TV shows for free.
• Hulu Plus is cheap and has a great selection of TV shows (we've loved Community!)
• Netflix has a fantastic selection of TV shows and movies (we've watched the Land of Time 2 and Alice in Wonderland about 100 times…).

BTW: have you heard of House of Cards? The best thing about Netflix is getting to watch a popular series without waiting a week for the next episode, right? So of course creating their own series, exclusive to Netflix, and releasing the entire season at once is brilliant. And Netflix did it right – Kevin Spacey as the lead, Robin Wright Penn as his wife, and the cast of characters make this drama too engaging to stop watching. The storyline is fascinating, cinematography is outstanding, and the wardrobe is spot-on DC. Loved it, and worth signing up for Netflix just to watch this series. It sets the tone for original series for Netflix, and I love the direction they are taking.

I love these streaming options, and since Netflix, Hulu and Amazon provide such a wide selection of great shows, I don't feel like I need cable – now I can select exactly what I want to watch instead of waiting for a certain day and time.

Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p is available on Amazon.

I was all “what’s the point” when I first read about the Day One app and didn’t download it until a few weeks ago. I have Evernote to track everything in my life, after all. I have a blog to chronicle our lives.

But, what I’ve discovered through blogging is this: the mundane details that I want to hold onto, like reading Good Night Moon in Mommy and Daddy’s bed every night, aren’t things that really belong on my blog. Blog posts should be interesting, right? I could journal these tidbits in Evernote – but it’s going to be jumbled in all of my random ideas and meeting notes that I document in Evernote. It’s not the same as a journal. And I certainly don’t use pen and paper.

That’s what prompted me to give it a try- and I absolutely love it. I use it solely to write down little things that I want to remember about our lives and can add a photo. Especially all of the funny things he’s saying right now.  The layout is clean and simple. I can store things with tags so it makes an excellent way to record baby book details like height/weight. You can export to a PDF to share or turn your journal into a book.

Download Day One in the iTunes store.

Nikon COOLPIX P310

Since the moment I got my DSLR camera, I have been afraid to part with it and carry it with me everywhere. I absolutely love taking photos and don't want to miss a moment. I've watched a photography DVD series and read a million photography blogs and downloaded an app on how to use the DSLR and I'm signing up for a photography class. I LOVE the camera. It is simply not convenient to take everywhere. I decided I needed to get a high quality point and shoot to keep in my bag when I didn't want to lug around my “real” camera.

More photos on Flickr >

So. I researched and researched to find a camera that wasn't expensive, was small, and has manual controls. Voila! I found the Nikon P310.

I settled on this camera after reading reviews and seeing the price drop drastically. I absolutely love it – I am still playing around with the settings and learning the manual controls, but am thrilled with the depth of field and photo quality of this little camera.

There is a new one out so the price on this one has dropped a lot. I'm very happy with it and obviously opted for the cheaper one… And would definitely make that choice again.

The Nikon P310 is available on Amazon or Best Buy.

Baby, it's sunny outside! Protect those sweet little eyes while amping up the cute factor and put your child in some cool shades. Real Kids Shades has a great selection of sunglasses for toddlers, and we tried them out over the weekend.

Kid proof.

I'm sure any mom of a 3 year old knows that introducing anything new can be met with resistance, so I was ecstatic to roll up in the red wagon to the park and see a little girl wearing sunglasses. Sure enough, he said “I want my sunglasses!” And he wore them all morning.

Real Kids Shades offers a great selection of styles and colors – and they are flexible for little boys that like to bend things.

These are great for babies and toddlers on the beach because they will stay in one place:

We will be wearing these sunglasses at the pool and beach all summer long! You can purchase online or the Kangaroo Pouch if you live in Myrtle Beach.

Disclaimer: Real Kids Shades sent me the sunglasses to review but all opinions are my own.

Finding the perfect gift for mom is NEVER easy! Here are some great gift ideas that any mom will love for Mother’s Day!

1. Personalized Note Cards from Minted

These pretty little notecards from Minted come gift-ready in a stylish box, ready to hand over to mom with a sweet, thoughtful Mother’s Day card. Every girl loves notecards, and Minted has a great selection of chic designs and superior paper quality, sure to make mom happy. Minted is currently offering a Mother’s Day special for my readers! Here’s the deal: Use promo code FRESHMOM10 to receive 10% off + free shipping on all Minted Mother’s Day Gifts(including stationary, journals and wall art) until 5/8/13.

2. Edible Arrangements

This pretty arrangement is a mix of fresh fruit and chocolate dipped strawberries and I can tell you from personal experience, everything is delicious. This makes a tasty treat for mom- and she won’t feel guilty about eating it because it’s healthy, too! Delivered to your doorstep, Edible Arrangements makes a great gift for an out-of-town mom to make her day special.

3. Recharging iPhone Case from C Wonder

Ever reached the end of your iPhone battery and needed to recharge… without a charger in site? This stylish case is a charger in disguise: the case itself has a rechargeable battery pack! The case connects to a USB outlet, and is ready to go when your battery dies.

PS- C Wonder is my favorite stylishly colorful & preppy shop right now. Have you been to their website? Go, drool, shop: Shop the Mother’s Day Gift Guide at C. Wonder and discover fabulous gifts for any budget and personality.

4. Preppy & Personalized Coffee Travel Mug from Layla Grayce

Mama need coffee, and why shouldn’t she sip it in style when she’s on the go? Layla Grayce has mugs and travel mugs in bright colors, preppy patterns, and all can be personalized with a monogram. Here’s the deal: Layla Grayce offers 15% off Mother’s Day gifts!

5. Nautical striped bag from Stella & Dot

I love the tan leather stripes and the simple stripes on this nautical tote. The style of the season is definitely nautical and I LOVE it. I would be THRILLED to receive this bag as my Mother’s Day gift. [Hint, hint.] This bag is available at Stella & Dot.

The One Kings Lane Day of Kitchen sale is here just in time for Spring! This is one of the best sales of the year because of the variety of high quality kitchen items One Kings Lane offers! Remember, One Kings Lane sales only last 72 hours so when you see an item you love you should definitely buy it! This Day Of Kitchen sale is live from today-4/26.

The Spring Table Sale at One Kings Lane

Set a table that blooms with these light, bright entertaining necessities. Full of floral dishes, playfully printed linens, and vibrant flatware, we’ve got something to freshen up every spring soiree.

The Composed Counter Sale at One Kings Lane

From cookware inherited for your first apartment to the bone white china on your wedding registry, a fully-equipped kitchen is a highly-personal thing of beauty. For those missing a few key pieces, we've created a collection of kitchen essentials, perfect for function, family, and entertaining.

Entertaining Essentials Sale at One Kings Lane

Warm days and balmy nights — this season is just made for entertaining. Whether you're planning a casual alfresco brunch or an elaborate outdoor party, these colorful wine glasses, tumblers, coasters and cake stands make every occasion stylish and chic.

The Eat-In Kitchen Sale at One Kings Lane

The eat-in kitchen is the heart and soul of the home. It’s where friends and family gather, meals are prepped and served, and memories are made. We selected our favorite kitchen and dining finds, from furniture to table linens, so you can create your own freshly-styled, functional eat-in kitchen.

Every girl needs a pretty set of notecards to dash off quick, thoughtful notes to friends and family for a thank you, congratulations, or sympathy message. Personalized stationery makes a stylish statement and its fun to put pen to paper in this digital world.

I love to write with a fountain pen – my dad loves to give them to me as gifts, and I have one in particular that I use for writing notes. I have it in my thank you note tote that held my notebook and note cards when I was pregnant and I was thank you note writing machine. (I had a notebook that I wrote random things down sort of like a journal but it was more like a stream of do-not-forgets and sleeping schedules and gifts people got for me that would get checks when I wrote a thank you note.) I still keep it all in one place.

Designs

I loved the designs that Minted offers, and was ecstatic when they offered to send me a sample to review. I love stationery. I really do. I have been told that I have pretty handwriting (humblebrag!) and I actually enjoy writing notes. So. It took me a while to go through the selection of stationery and I almost chose this one but then decided I had to go for the seersucker style for the summer. And I am so pleased with my choice!

Paper Quality

Here's what really took me by surprise: the paper quality. It is far superior than any other stationery I've owned. It is a thick card and the paper is perfect for a fountain pen. The ink soaks right up on paper, making it an easy writing surface. My handwriting looks beautiful on this stationery!

The Perfect Gift

Minted offers a stylish selection of note cards and they come in a beautiful package ready to give as a gift. The box makes it fun to open, and a sweet and stylish luxury to keep on your desk. This would be perfect for Mother's Day! This is really a great gift for many occasions – it's personalized, so it's very thoughtful – and the packaging is such a classy touch. This will be a go-to gift for family and friends for birthdays, babies, and holidays. Also, friends, family and husband reading this – this is the perfect gift to get me, too!!!

Minted provide me the notecards for this review but all opinions are my own.