I try my damndest not to do too much shopping for my son. I mean, he grows out of clothes so quickly and we have lots of hand-me-down digs and toys and really? Does he need another adorable sumthin' sumthin'?

Urban Baby Runway makes my efforts not to shop for baby VERY DIFFICULT. They've got tons of badass baby clothes for boys and girls, plusbedding, plus toys. Oh and plus they have maternity hotness. (They even carry that "floating baby" top that Sarah was wearing in one of those maternity shots I featured last week.)

I'm currently swooning over this monkey romper and the itty-bitty baby fedoras. Must! Restrain! Clicker! Finger!

Urban Baby Runway also sells these pouch slings from Hot Mama Ink. As you might have guessed from the brand name, the slings are tattoo themed, with pouches featuring designs like Heart & Wing, Dagger, Anchor, Tribal, and Skull & Roses.

And now? One of these slings can be yours … all yours …

Continue reading "Badass baby gear from Urban Baby Runway (+ sling giveaway!)" →

Congrats to the winner of the Simplebear hoodie giveaway: Jessyka Greene! Jessyka, check your email.

Jess from Simplebear was so overwhelmed by the response to the giveaway that she decided to offer a 15% discount to all Offbeat Mama readers! So if you LOVE this hoodie, didn't win it but still want it — DISCOUNT FOR YOU! The discount applies to all Simplebear products, not just the Crossley hoodie. Just message Jess through Etsy to let her know you're an OBM reader, and she'll hook you up with the discount.

So even if you didn't win, go get some of the Simplebear coziness for yourself!

It's been a while since I featured an offbeat DILF. I got some feedback from one reader who said the feature was "so wrong and trashy" and I got a little gun-shy. BUT! I just can't stay away from the pictures of hottie dads, so despite some of you thinking this feature is "like Hooters for women," here's this week's DILF, James!

Helen Jane explains, "Back when I was 22 , I wrote a list of exactly what I wanted out of a husband. Someone who would play guitar to our kids was number one on the list." … Mission accomplished, HJ!

For a couple more shots of James, and a poll about whether I should keep featuring DILFs, keep reading!

Continue reading "This week's DILF, Mr. James Hearn" →

Most people who know me, know that I had a son before my "real" son. Although he came from a different mom, I still consider him my son. I try not to say "stepson" because I don't want him to feel like he's apart from my son or me and my husband.

Me and his dad (now my husband) got together just after my son's 2nd Birthday. I had NEVER dated a guy before who had a child, nor had I seriously thought about how it would be to date a guy with a child. He only had his son T every other weekend, so I figured it would be like any other guy … only every other weekend, instead of it being just me and my guy, it would be me, my guy, and his son. No biggy.

Continue reading "It takes a Village to Raise a Stepson" →

Some of you may remember Jesse Bartke's post about he-nesting as he waited for his son. Here's his partner Ashby's story of their water birth!

Ashby and Jesse welcome their son, Miles

"You look beautiful when you’re in labor,” I heard my midwife say from somewhere far away. Looking back now, I wish I had been present enough to thank her, to smile or to even recognize that I heard her words. I did hear them, somehow, from the soft blue place I floated. I heard them but they hovered somewhere outside me, like the lights and the noises in the hallway and everything except my belly and my breath and the water.

Continue reading "A water birth story" →

Shadowboxes and scrapbooks are excellent ways to hang on to those little items, photos and knick-knacks that we hold so dear. This kitschy, simple tutorial that I spied over at Giddy Giddy is all of those things wrapped up in one… plus it doubles as fantastic wall art!

Continue reading "DIY Scrapbox Memories Tutorial by Giddy Giddy" →