A few weeks ago on Facebook, I mentioned this made-to-order organic cotton hoodie, from Etsy seller simplebear.

"I'm hoping this will be the ultimate breastfeeding hoodie," I said.

And guess what? IT IS.

And guess what else? Simplebear has a made-to-order hoodie to give away to one of you!

Because not only is this the ultimate breastfeeding hoodie — it's really just the ultimate mama hoodie. I will tell you why.

Continue reading "The ultimate breastfeeding hoodie + giveaway!" →

As the child of hippies, I never really learned how to put on make-up. My first experiences were in the context of doing musical theater in middle and high school — and stage makeup is, uh, not really a good model for daily wear. My cosmetics education then took a turn for the sparkly when I started going to raves in the mid-'90s. Suddenly, I couldn't leave the house without at least three different layers of glitter. Ever. Anyway, this is all to say that I don't know shit about make-up and my taste in eyeshadow is almost as loud as my taste in wedding shoes. Here's one of my more understated looks.

Given this love of sparkles and over-the-top-ness, I'm stupid-giddy about Glittersniffer Cosmetics, the brainchild of Lela, a 24-year-old Detroit mama to a three-year-old. Glittersniffer makes (not just sells — MAKES) some of brightest, sparkliest mineral-based eye shadows I've ever seen in colors like Zombie Girl, Contradiction, and Pink Pistol. Lela makes perfumes and other cosmeticstoo, but I'm obsessed with the eyeshadow. And I'm here to share the obsession with you via a giveaway!

Continue reading "Glittersniffer, cuz mamas need glitter too" →

When Real Nappies contacted me about doing a review of their Snug Wraps diaper covers, I was a little hesitant. See, I don't change most of the diapers in our house. Andreas does. Can I really pretend to be an expert reviewer when most of the diaper business is outsourced to my husband? But I checked with him to see if he'd be into reporting back about his experiences with Real Nappies, and he agreed.

Thank goodness, cuz it means that y'all have a chance to win some free stuff for yourselves…

Continue reading "Real Nappies diaper cover review & giveaway" →

Before Tavi was born, I learned that baby shoes are everyone's favorite gift to give. Little dude had over 15 pairs of tiny little shoes in a dazzling array of adorableness waiting for him on his birthday. After he was born, I quickly learned that most baby shoes are either impossible to get on (lots of shoving and grunting on those little Robbees boots) or prone to falling off (I was in a panic when I thought we'd lost one of his hand-knit blue booties).

And then for Christmas, Offbeat Shrie gifted Tavi the most AMAZING baby booties. They are both easy to get on AND never fall off. The design is impeccable, with little elasticated snapping straps that essentially allow the bootie to open almost completely … and then, once snapped, hold on tight. Doesn't it seem like ALL baby booties should be easy to get on and secure once they're on? It just makes sense. These are pretty much the only shoes Tavi will wear from now until he's 2 years old. Also, a warning for pregnant friends: these booties are also now my defacto baby shower gift for every single one of you.

I begged Shrie to tell me where she got them, and look at that: it's Etsy seller MEandREEKIE, and she's got a pair to give away to one lucky Offbeat Mama reader…

Continue reading "The most perfect baby bootie ever made" →