I’ll try to update with the fun we’re having and the connections we’re making.

Have a great week all!

Here’s the one my son has:

It’s 14″x14″ and made of super soft material that he just loves! He was about 3 or 4 months old when we gave it to him and he didn’t pay much attention to it at first, but as he grew older it became his favorite thing. We even bought another one before our trip last Christmas in case something happened to it. Good thing–because he hates to be without it. And, I can switch them out to wash.

He’s a binky boy, so if he’s tired or upset he needs his “bip and snuggie” or there is no peace.

Now I’m trying to decide which one to get for our little girl…They come in all different types and colors, like a bunny, green froggy, brown owl, pink bunny, white lamb, pony, tiger….

well, check them out here: Nursery Couture and let me know what you think. I’m having a really hard time deciding.

*I’m not affiliated with this store at all, but they do have a great selection!

My wonderful mother bought me one of the “super cool and chic” Petunia Picklebottom bags and it’s ok. But, the strap is fixed in place and too long for me (I’m quite short). I also felt the silky material was too nice to take anywhere that might get dirty.
Then I tried the Queen Bee bag from The Bumble Collection. Again, I got a deal, but I HATED it! The zippers were not smooth. It smelled like cheap leather for as long as I owned it–a couple of months–the diaper area was inconvenient, and it fell over unless it was full. I actually sold it because I couldn’t stand it anymore.
Luckily, through all this I also had my Skip Hop. It was functional, practical and worked great!
It’s made of canvas, making it great to take to the park or beach or wherever without worry that it will get dirty. The fabric is also sturdy and doesn’t yet show any signs of wear. I love that it’s light as well. It can be stuffed and it’s still not too heavy. I have another bag that is fashionable, “cool” and retails for four times this price (I paid wholesale) and I love it, but it’s a lot heavier even when it’s empty.

There is a pocket in the back to hold diapers/wipes and the included changing pad. It also works great if I have some papers to take somewhere because they’ll stand straight, where in other bags there’s nowhere for them to go. Plus I feel like I have plenty of pockets and room for my other necessities.

There are 3 different lengths of straps. One is pretty long so you can carry it like a messenger bag, shorter straps to just carry and clasps on the side to hook it to the handles of the stroller without it hanging down.

They now have a Deluxe version, and there are several color options to suit a variety of tastes.

I don’t use it every day…but often wonder why. Especially now that it’s summer and I feel like I’m outside all the time. Maybe I will.

Here are the winners of our contests:

Grand Prize $75 Gift Certificate to Sproutshell.com: Amy Pugmire! She wanted it, she posted, she got it!

Twitter Giveaway/Rocker Roo Shirt: Ashley Reynolds.

I’ll email you soon with details of claiming your prize.

Thanks again!

And…you can still bid on the Sprout Shell at Real Moms, Real Views. All proceeds go to the March of Dimes

Maybe I’ll just feature one of our retailers (because they’re awesome) or maybe a product that I really like, or if one of you has a blog or something you’d like featured, let me know and maybe I’ll feature that.

Today’s feature is Rocker Roos Clothing. It’s a line of darling baby clothes that are hip and cool. They’re also a REALLY good price. The owner/designer Paige Kessler says her goal is to create “unique boutique clothing at discount prices.” Take it from this “frugal” mama–she does just that! I pretty much have every boy style for my son, and just ordered most of the girl styles for my upcoming little one.

The current sizes are 0-24 months, but in the fall (early September) she will have larger sizes and new designs available…yay! Paige says her favorite part of her business is “getting to design freely without limitations.” I’ll bet that is nice. She went to college at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and worked as a designer for The Children’s Place/Disney Store for a few years. After the birth of her son she decided to take a break…and begin designing for herself!

My favorite? The Britton, of course!

And for a girl, maybe this one called Jewel:

Check out their other styles here: RockerRoos.Com

Everyone who follows us on Twitter today and comments here about which their favorite style is will be entered in a drawing to win one of these super cute shirts too!

(full disclosure, Rocker Roos is owned by my good friend. However, I really and truly do love these clothes)

I can hardly believe it’s Thursday already! Did you check out our question about shopping on facebook…or get the free shipping code from Real Moms, Real Views? You can also bid  on a Sprout Shell in their silent auction. All proceeds will benefit the March of Dimes.

Anyway, today I wanted to get your opinion on a new product we’re thinking about. A burp cloth (super cute of course) that would also attach to the infant carrier cover to serve as a “flap” to cover part of the hole in the top.

Why? Some people think the hole in the top is too large. We’ve made it this size for several reasons–so you can reach in through the top and access the baby, fit a grownup sized hand around the handle, give enough air circulation, and to accommodate the other uses.

Usually we suggest using the carrier’s sun shade to cover the hole as much as you want…but, this is an alternative.

It would be coordinating–of course–and attach to the carrier cover with a button. We thought of velcro–but that is scratchy! Every Sprout Shell would come with 1 burp cloth, and additional ones would be available separately.

So, what do you think? Is this necessary? Something useful? Is it something you would like?

We look forward to hearing your opinions!

But at the end of the day, there’s nothing I love more than hearing the funny and sweet things my little guy says and watching him learn and grow.  (He’s 2) Britton is a very sweet boy, a great snuggler and I LOVE it! I am so grateful to have him. As I count down the weeks to #2 I’m getting so excited to meet her and kiss that little face and watch her develop and grow into an amazing person like her big brother.

I want to know about you! What’s your favorite part of being a parent?

How many children do you have? What are their ages?

Some we’re pretty sure about–Bubble Burst, Carnival Bloom–others are accidents in ordering–Forever Diamonds (good thing it’s cute!)–and other we have no idea–Kaleidoscope, Flower Sorbet.

Carnival Bloom...current girl fav

So, we want to know which your favorite style is, and why. What grabs you about it? The colors, the shapes?

And, what kind of fabrics would you like to see? Colors, styles etc. Our goal? To make modern moms on the go feel stylish and fabulous. I mean, it’s good for carrier cover, nursing and the shopping cart…so it’ll get a lot of use.

Here’s a link to our shop so you can see them all and decide:

I Like…

We’re excited to kick off this week’s Birthday Bash! We hope it’s a lot of fun, and that we get to know you–and you get to know us–a lot better. Our favorite part of Sprout Shell is interacting with moms, but we haven’t been doing it as much as we’d like…that needs to change!

Starting this week there will be daily (or almost daily)  posts on Facebook that we’d love to get your comments on. Some will be silly and some will be a little more serious, but, most importantly, we want to start conversations with you.

We’ll also post on this blog more often with things pertaining to parenthood in general. I would LOVE to get your ideas about things you want to talk about, share or know about.

This week, here’s the plan:
The person who makes the most comments, retweets the most, introduces Sprout Shell to the most people etc. will receive:
$75 gift certificate to our shop.

Twitter: Whomever becomes our 300-400th Twitter follower  who Retweets about our Birthday Bash will receive:
Rocker Roo shirt, either a boy or girl style.

Facebook: The 175-300th person who “Likes” us on Facebook will win:
a Minky Blanky of their choice. You’ll even have the option to wait for our coordinating styles available August 15th.

Discount codes will be posted throughout the week and other prizes given too.

To Starting now…let us know you’re here! Leave a comment, follow the blog if you don’t already, tell us what you think about our plans–we’re open to changes if you hate them! =)

The Twitter and Facebook winners will be chosen using Random.org

Sprout Shell is turning TWO! We can hardly believe it. It’s been a great two years, and we’ve  come a long way.

The Original Sprout

To celebrate, we’re having a “Birthday Bash” week starting Monday, June 21st and going until Friday June 25th!

We’ll be launching some new features/content on our blog and facebook pages to help us get our input about life as a parent/grandparent/person who likes babies and kids. Some will be serious, some will be very lighthearted and we encourage you to participate!

There will also be prizes and cool things for people who “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and post comments. We’ll have discount codes posted at certain times on certain days too! (don’t worry, we’ll let you know.)

We think it will be a lot of fun, and we’re looking forward to interacting with you!