Yup.  That’s right!  Kelly Taylor from 90210 has a new show on iVillage, Garden Party, full of advice for getting your children excited about vegetables. And recently she visited Grand Central for a Love Your Veggies event.

One of our favorite parenting-writers, Brooklyn Mom Blogger Nicole at A Mom Amok, did some digging around in the veggie patch:

In Garden Party, Garth, who I used to revere as Kelly in Beverly Hill 90210, now mother of three daughters, visits farms and gardens to learn about how to grow vegetables and then talks to kids and kid-friendly cooks about how to prepare them in a way that is fun and appealing to little ones. So, things like making salad art, getting creative with dipping (Hidden Valley is the sponsor of the show) and giving veggies a little bit of spin (broccoli can be “little trees” and asparagus can be “beanstalks”) Each month, she focuses on a new vegetable: right now, for example, its all about lettuce.

I went to an event called Veggie Central at Grand Central Station last week, where Garth appeared to do a veggie-related activity with local 3rd graders and to talk about the show.  [...]

The Organic Gardener, Jeanne Pinsof Nolan, was also in attendance, showing kids how to plant all manner of seeds, and answering their questions about gardening.

My favorite question was from a little boy who asked, “If you plant a seed, will it really grow?”

It does seem pretty far-fetched.

Nolan also mentioned to the kids how the President himself had a garden at the White House where he grew all kinds of vegetables. Kids seemed to dig that.

Want to know what vegetable needs a new PR agent? Or what vegetable the kids love? Want to see a Jennie Garth-inspired veggie pizza bagel face? Or an entire fountain of ranch dressing? Then you’ll have to check out Love Your Veggies at A Mom Amok.

For an Easter basket that will survive beyond the big day, these lovely fabric Easter baskets (Blue Morpho – $14) are available in playful and chic patterns.
Start your basket off on an earth-friendly note: forget the plastic grass that gets everywhere (including the toddler’s mouth) and grow real grass for the Easter Bunny. With the Easter Grass Kit from Spots and Ladybugs ($10) you will have a lush basket of green grass in just seven days.
No Easter basket at my house is complete without a chocolate bunny–so how about a fair trade chocolate Easter bunny ($18 from Turning Life)? Theo Chocolate has a scrumptious-looking Easter Basket that is fair trade and gluten and soy-free. Global exchange also has a great selection of fair trade chocolates. For those, like me, who find themselves in the supermarket at the last minute, try picking up some Cadbury and then send them a note to extend their fair-trade sourcing policy to their chocolates available in the United States.
For Easter favors with a tad more sophistication, the adults (or future foodies) on your list will love TCHO carrots by the bunch (Tasting Pack – $32). You’ll get a carrot-shaped cone of chocolate-drenched honey roasted cashews, macadamia nuts, and rich cacao nibs. (H/T Help a Mother Out)
These foundling bunnies (Rosie Hippo – $16 small, $29 large), are handmade in the USA from organic cotton–the next best thing to adopting your own hippity hoppy friend. Possibly better, since you don’t have to clean-up after these long-eared friends. Use Rosie Hippo Coupon Code MAMA10 for 10% off until end of April 2010.
These bunny crayons (Colorfun on Etsy – $12 for a dozen) make a perfect Easter gift–plus they’ll keep the kids creatively busy after the egg hunt.
This plush Color Zoo Rory the Rabbit Stuffed Animal by Allen Ave will put a spring in your step with its vivid patterns. ($13-24)
Yes…one more plush bunny. How could I resist? These hand-embroidered wool bundle bunny dolls (Little A Shop – $15) would be the perfect cuddly friend. You can even have your bunny customized.
For a little educational Easter fun, toddlers will enjoy this handcrafted wooden duck puzzle, also available as a rabbit. ($10 – Rosie Hippo) Preschoolers will have fun with the more challenging Duck Pond Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle, which also features a dog and a rabbit and is made in the USA. ($19 – Rosie Hippo) Use Rosie Hippo Coupon Code MAMA10 for 10% off until end of April 2010.
What a great concept! The Funky Farm See Me Bunny Mirror By Skip Hop ($9 – Kangaroo Boo) combines two things a baby loves–a plush friend and his own adorable face. Plus it kinda has a space-age mod feel.
Stitching cards are a favorite of young children. This relaxing activity boosts fine motor control. I love the design of this Threading Rabbit from Estia (Kangaroo Boo – $14).
Don’t forget a toy for the baby! The Springy Rabbit by Hess (Kangaroo Boo – $13), Wooden Duck Ring (Rosie Hippo – $14), or Plush Bunny Rattle Ring (Rosie Hippo – $12) are sure to keep your bunny buddy entertained!
Our favorite gifts are books–they are always the right size and always in style. Debbie recommends The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes ($11) as an inspiring tale for young girls. Owen’s Marshmallow Chick ($10) is a sweet tale of friendship for babies and toddlers. And Grandpa Bunny (Little Golden Book) ($4) is a clever story about nature’s preparations for Spring.
A Mother’s Crochet has crocheted bunny ear hats in every pastel color $13. So, if you are suddenly seized by an Anne Geddes moment, you’re prepared.
I’m a complete sucker for a cute hooded towel and this funny floppy eared hooded bunny towel (SDKDesigns on Etsy – $30) also has a cotton tail.
While shopping for adorable new spring togs for your sprout, don’t forget the dolly’s wardrobe! Most of our dolls are Corolle and this Pastel Pants Set ($23) even has a cute little bunny!
If rabbits and bunnies are a year-round obsession at your household, you will love this David Klein “Bunny” – Limited Edition, Rosie Hippo exclusive print ($175 – available with other animal designs). Bright and engaging for babies, yet funky enough for animal lovers of all ages, these prints by award-winning artist David Klein are a unique mixture of the psychedelic and the traditional folk arts. Use Rosie Hippo Coupon Code MAMA10 for 10% off until end of April 2010.

Whether you celebrate Easter or not, we hope you have a great start to the Spring season with your family! Enjoy!

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a label fanatic. Labels combine my childhood love of stickers and my grown-up obsession with organization.

I own a label-maker, which gets a lot of use in my house. If you’re looking for an inexpensive label, I would definitely use a label-maker. But when you need a label that can stand up to daily use, I.D. Me Labels is a good choice. They sent me some All Purpose Icon Labels to test, and I happily stuck them on sippy cups, bowls, plastic containers, and the sand bucket and shovel my son brings to the park. We picked a bright blue label with a red car, which looks cheerful on his sippy cups. The labels look as good as new after a month of dishwasher cleanings, and the labels make it easier to spot my son’s things when we’re on a play date.

I.D. Me Labels even offers a pacifier label, which I wish I’d known about when my son was a baby! He’ll be heading off to pre-school in the fall, and I plan to buy more labels from I.D. Me Labels. In particular, I’m interested in testing the Strap Mates for his shoes as well as the Clothing Labels.

Want It:
Shop online at I.D. Me Labels us coupon code idme10 and save 10%. The All Purpose Icon Labels I tested are $19.95 for 25 labels.

There’s something about a hot pink hippo that makes you smile. RosieHippo  is one of my favorite stores because I know how much effort the owner puts into picking her merchandise. When you buy a gift from RosieHippo, it comes with “Rosie the Hippo” coloring pages and a friendly Rosie the Hippo sticker on the packages.

Kids love this sweet hippo, and customers have asked Kim, the owner of RosieHippo, to start selling a pink hippo for months. Kim searched far and wide for a plush pink hippo that met her quality standards. She finally located a manufacturer in the United Kingdom and now offers two exclusive Rosie Hippo plush animals. Rosie is available stuffed with lavender from France and natural wheat grains from England — or stuffed with wheat grains only.

My son has the wheat version, and he loves sleeping and cuddling with Rosie.  Because Rosie is stuffed with wheat, this plush can do double duty as a heating pad. After just 30 seconds in the microwave, Rosie keeps my son toasty while we’re waiting for the car to warm up.

Want it?
Visit RosieHippo.com.

2 days only – Get 20% off Any Oldnavy.com purchase. Enter ONGET20* at checkout. Offers ends 3/17.

The stylish BabyBjörn Babysitter Balance is really more like a designer accessory than a piece of baby gear. The reversible fabric gives you four color schemes in one, and the solidly constructed frame has three positions for baby–play, rest and sleep. There’s also the ability to fold the entire seat flat so you can store it under the bed, the couch, or in the trunk of the car.

Besides comfort, style, and safety, my daughter loves the natural and gentle bouncy motion of the seat. Some doctors claim this will help babies train motor and balance skills naturally and that it may even help soothe colicky babies with its smoother and less mechanical motion as compared to the battery-operated bouncer.

It’s also easy to get baby in and out with its detachable restraint system, whether you’re trying v-e-r-y carefully not to wake up a little sleeper, or quickly responding when she is READY TO GET OUT. The reversible cover material slips off easily and is machine-washable–which has come in handy! It’s certainly a lot easier to clean than baby is after one of those epic two-parent clean-up situations. (Do I attempt to remove the onesie over the head or do I just cut if off and toss it? Get the bath ready!)

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WANT IT: BabyBjörn Babysitter Balance ($140-170 at Amazon) or Baby Bjorn Baby Sitter Balance ($170 at MyStrollers.com). Find out more at the official BabyBjorn Babysitter Balance page

WIN IT: Three (3) winners will be receive a Babysitter Balance. To enter, please watch the video (above or click here) and then let us know how else you create confidence-building opportunities for your baby to influence and control her world.

Enter up to three times:

• Comment on this post with how you create confidence-building opportunities for your baby to influence and control her world.
• Follow @Mamanista and Tweet your answer to @Mamanista and include a link back to this post. Leave a separate comment with the URL of your status update.
• Fan Mamanista on Facebook and then share your answer on our post there.

Contest ends 11:59 PM, EST, March 29, 2010. US and Canadian Shipping, Only.

Save 10% on all Vincent Kids Shoes. Use Code: VIN-SWEET-10

Sittercity is a service that allows you to sort through potential sitters by distance, types of services, certifications, skills, and more.  I can quickly get a sense of whether or not a candidate is worth interviewing based on how carefully she fills out her profile and the reviews from other families.  I’ve found this to be an efficient system for locating new babysitters–which leaves me more time to get my work done and enjoy my family.

And Sittercity is military-friendly, too.  They have partnered with the DoD to offer funded Sittercity memberships to military families.

You can get $20 OFF an annual membership or $5 OFF a monthly membership to Sittercity.com with promo coupon code SITTERSAVE

Photo courtesy of Airwear

I have a very strong eyeglass prescription. That means that I’m always wearing glasses. It also means that regular eyeglasses have to be rather thick at the edges. Fortunately I’ve been on good vision care plans for years, so I’ve had the opportunity to try a number of innovations. For my prescription it has always worth paying for “high-index” lenses, which enable glasses to be ground thinner.

Even better are high-index plastics, since they are significantly lighter than glass lenses, and they naturally block 100% of UVA and UVB light. My husband, who is always looking for excuses to play with dangerous tools, explicitly asks for polycarbonate lenses to protect his eyes: Polycarbonate is so strong that it is used for supersonic jet canopies. However, like all optical plastics it is more prone to scratching than glass.

Traditionally consumers had to choose between scratch-resistant (SR) and anti-reflective (AR) coatings for their lenses, since each has to be on the top layer to be effective. In fact some AR coatings seem to highlight even the tiniest smudges. But the newest coating on the market manages to combine both features: Sold as “Crizal Avance with Scotchgard Protector,” this is a remarkable product that combines anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, and dirt repellent properties all on the same lens.

I had the opportunity to try a pair of Essilor’s Airwear polycarbonate lenses with this new coating. They are less than half the weight of my glass lenses, and their coating really works as advertised.  Ask your eye care provider about Airwear lenses or visit LighterSaferGreener.com for more information.

The quality sold me on Airwear lenses, but I’m also pleased to see that Essilor has made an effort to go green. The Airwear lens packaging uses 100% recyclable cardboard instead of the standard plastic packaging. The lenses are manufactured using recycled water, and the company even recycles the waste produced from the manufacturing of Airwear lenses. These small changes can make a big impact on the environment, and they explain why Essilor markets Airwear as Lighter, Safer and Greener.

(Disclosure: Airwear provided the lenses for free. I wrote this review while participating in a MomCentral.com blog tour.)