Baby Friendly L.A.

Nomie Baby Car Seat Cover

A cute cover built to take a beating.

When Ava was an infant I loved strolling her around in a fancy leopard print and hot pink car seat. But now that Ava is a full fledge, walking, talking, spilling-everything toddler, I wanted... no, I needed a car seat cover that could handle a mess.  It was only a matter of time before something happened that would require me to uninstall her toddler seat and tear it apart for a cleaning. I desperately wanted to avoid this scenario if at all possible. This time it was all about function. And of course, price too.

One day while reading my morning's Jen's List, I saw a post for Nomie Baby^TM car seat covers.  They claimed to have everything I was looking for: a removable, washable, waterproof, one-size-fits-all car seat cover - and the best part - for only $34.00.  Ding ding. I had to try it out so I placed an order that very moment. 

Shortly thereafter I received an email from a lovely woman, Katie Danzinger, who happens to be the brains behind the Nomie. Katie, a mompreneur with three busy children, created her product out of pure need.  She, like so many of us with messy toddlers, dreaded spot cleaning the car seat or ripping it apart for a good wash. She needed something quick, easy and durable and that's how the Nomie was born.

The Nomie Baby^TM comes in three solid colors: pastel yellow, baby blue and light pink. I of course ordered the girliest one of the trio and to my surprise, the pink was delicate and soft and much prettier than the website's picture. The quilted material is silky and cool to the touch which is wonderful for our California weather and perfect for hot summers. The Nomie easily installs in seconds. It slips over the car seat and the hefty, Velcro openings allow for adjustable strap settings.

Just days after using the Nomie, Ava had somewhat of a deliberate spill. Drip drop, drip drop… before I realized what she was up to it was too late. Thankfully the Nomie lived up to its promise and spared my car from reeking of sour milk. I threw it in the wash, tossed it in the dryer and we were back in action the next day.  Whew!

The bottom line: The Nomie Baby^TM is practical, durable, comfortable and affordable. And while it may not be the leopard print and hot pink number of the infant days, it's stylish too.  Leave it to a mom to create such an amazing product!

www.nomiebaby.com

Etsy Wednesday: Rockin' Moms

Why be ordinary? So Cal moms creating coolness.

When I need to find a gift these days I often turn to Etsy. I am truly addicted to amazing handmade goodies created by extremely talented people. I always feel like I've won a prize when I buy something made by hand and that the gift is extra special. And in this tough economy, giving dollars to hard working artisans gives me even greater pleasure.  Here are three So Cal moms who create unique, affordable gifts of coolness.

I was hunting around Etsy this week looking for unique baby items when I discovered PunkyMonkeyKids tattoo-style onesies and baby tees. This very cool line was created by a Los Angeles stay-at-home-mom who wanted something edgy, different and affordable for her two little punky-monkeys.  Pictured here is a bit of goth for your punk rock princess – and for $19.99 for both the tu-tu and onesie, you can afford to have every day be Halloween. And this Love Stinks onesie or toddler tee says it all ($7.99).

PunkyMonkeyKids.etsy.com

Every princess needs a pair of slippers and BabyThingsByJessica is a sweet compliment to any outfit. Another Southern California, stay-at-home-mom created these delicate looking, yet durable baby shoes. Again affordable (around $13.00), unique and special. I wish they made adult sizes!

BabyThingsByJessica.etsy.com

So your kid is all decked out in their super-slick, cutting edge outfit, but what about mom? If you're a mom who walks to her own beat, check out KidPirate for tees, totes, messenger bags and more... this LA mom (to kitties!) created this fun clothing line out of her own doodles and designs.

KidPirate.etsy.com

Classy Kid Placemats

A placemat that has thought of it all

We've all eaten out with our little ones. And we've all tried countless ways to entertain them before their food arrives.  I'm sure you've seen or even tried the disposable, stick down placemats.  You know the kind… the Saran Wrap-ish, "table topper" mats decorated with a favorite character such as Elmo or Dora that barely sticks to the table with pasty strips on two sides.  Ava will get bored in matter of minutes and thinks it's fun to pull the mat off of the table defeating the whole purpose.  And then I found the Classy Kid Keep Me Coloring Creative Germ Defense Placemat. 

These mats essentially do the same thing – they give your child a clean place to put their food. Only this multi-tasking mat rocks.  First of all, it sticks down on all four sides as opposed to just two. But not just all four sides… it's made to wrap around the front edge of the table making it an even cleaner, more secure surface and more difficult to for your child to pull it off.  I don't know what they use in their gummy paste, but it sticks. Yet at the end of the meal it easily comes off with no trace of it left behind.

And the mat keeps getting better. Each one has a design with either cute little barnyard animals or sweet looking creatures from the sea. All are in black and white so your child can color, scribble and doodle all over them. They can color with crayons right on this mat. Brilliant. Four crayons are included in each pack. But the Classy Kids people thought about things in even greater detail. Their crayons are triangular so they won't roll off the table. Again, brilliant.

So these super secure, wrap-around, adorably decorated, coloring placemats with the triangular crayons can't get any better can they? Yep, they sure can.  They are waterproof. You can put "wet" items down on it such as grapes, oranges, carrots marinating in soups... and then wipe it off and the child can still write on it. It's amazing. It's so cool that it must be bad for the environment, right? Nope. According to their website, these mats are made from environmentally degradable calcium material.

Ok, so with all of this you would think these placemats would be far more expensive than the plastic, flimsy kind. But they are actually less expensive. Babies R Us carries packs of 20 for around $9 – about the same price as the 16 pack of the others. You can also find these mats at grocery stores such as Ralphs. I never thought I would love a placemat, but Classy Kids lives up to their classy name with this ingenious design.

www.classy-kid.com

Etsy Wednesday: Handbags

Feeding the Etsy addiction

Those of you who know me and who have been following along here know that I've been bitten by the craft bug. More so, I've been bitten by the Etsy bug – a far more dangerous addiction.  Etsy seems so sweet and unassuming, but just wait… Soon you'll find yourself spending countless hours looking at amazing handmade goods, "hearting" their stores only to return later with funds from your PayPal account that you've earned from your Etsy shop. It's a vicious cycle. I think I need an intervention.  Or another blog.

But who has time for two blogs and a growing Etsy obsession? And let's not forget the toddler I have running around here… So instead I dedicate Wednesday as "Etsy Day" where I feature a few of my favorite finds that I've discovered on the handmade super highway.  Today's feature: Handbags!

• LulaBallou,a designer from right here in Southern California, creates wallets, mini-purses, Ipod/cell phone cases and over-the-shoulder bags, however I love the idea of this tiny wristlet or wallet-meets-handbag created out of whimsical, colorful fabrics. lulaballou.etsy.com

• I'm seriously tempted to buy one of Just Be's beautiful gypsy bags. Their luscious velvets and rich fabrics keep bringing me back to their site for a peek... for now… justbeonline.etsy.com

• This cute little purse by Hoganfe would compliment a spring time dress or spruce up a pair of weekend jeans. It's sweet, it's delicate and it's definitely bookmarked. hoganfe.etsy.com

New Additions

TwitterMoms Blog Network and CommentLuv

I'm experimenting with a few new things over here at BFLA, the first being the TwitterMoms Blog Network. California mom and TwitterMoms founder, Megan Calhoun, created this useful tool to help promote mom-created blogs. Once you install the widget on your website, you are in the network - it's that simple. Your new posts are then automatically included in a scrolling list that broadcasts continually on participating blogs who also carry the widget. It's really neat and I've already found some very cool websites worth subscribing to. To see it in action, check out my sidebar. And if you haven't stopped by Twittermoms.com, you should! It's a wonderful community created by one amazing mom. Way to go, Megan!

www.twittermoms.com
TwitterMoms Blog Network

Next on my list of fun things to try is this handy-dandy tool called CommentLuv. Everyone loves comments on their blogs. Ask any blogger and they'll tell you that It makes your day when someone responds to a post with a kind word or suggestion.  We all want the comments and now there is an incentive for visitors to leave behind a little note – self promotion! CommentLuv encourages more participation by including the commentator's most recent blog post in their entry. You can now promote your blog just by leaving some love.  Pretty sweet!  If you don't believe me, why don't you go ahead and leave a comment here and see what happens.  ;) 

www.commentluv.com

OnceTraveled.com

A New Year, a new shop name

A few months ago I discovered that I have a crafty side when I decided to do something different and actually make holiday gifts with my bare hands.  Little did I know that six weeks later I would have an online shop and a small, growing business.

I started creating jewelry art pendants out of vintage postage stamps and recycled Scrabble tiles.  I opened a store on the handmade shopping site, Etsy.com, just to see what would happen over the holiday season. I never dreamed I would enjoy it so much or that people would respond to my work so positively.  I am so humbled and excited with every new purchase. And that is how Treasures Par Avion was born.   Great name, right? Wrong.  But Par Avion means "air mail" and together it all sounds so romantic, doesn't it? I thought so. However…

I quickly discovered that my chosen shop name was far too difficult for most to remember when they inquired about my pendants. Nearly every reaction included a head tilt, a face scrunch and the proverbial, "huh?" that followed a few seconds later. www.TreasuresParAvion.etsy.com. What's so tough about that? I knew it was a bad choice when my mother, my biggest fan, called 19 times a day asking what the name was. I could see the face scrunching through the phone.

I then decided to purchase the domain name to help make it a little easier. I was surprised to learn that someone had registered it just days before! Come on now… who wants Treasures Par Avion but me? I'm not sure I even want it at this point. I guess they thought it was a romantic name too.

So… with all of that and to make this long story shorter, I decided to open a new shop on Etsy. I am now OnceTraveled and to find me all you need to do is go to www.OnceTraveled.com.  Or if you are on Etsy, I am OnceTraveled.etsy.com (or if you are here you can click through my sidebar).  It's much easier to remember and receives far less face scrunching.  And my mom can now happily tell everyone she knows about it. Thanks, Mom!

Why Once Traveled? Because most of my pendants are created out of once traveled, vintage postage stamps (a much nicer term than "used").  So there you have it! A new year, a new shop name.  My old, extremely-difficult-to-remember shop will remain up to show my sales history and feedback, but has a forward over to the new one.  I hope you'll visit soon!

xoxo,
Ro

94th Aero Squadron

A nostalgic restaurant for "air-pane" lovers

Ava has a new passion and it's one that I wasn't quite expecting. Airplanes. She loves watching for them, hearing their approaching sound and waving to them as they fly overhead. I never thought living near an airport would be anything more than a nuisance, but now it is a daily form of entertainment. She says, "Hi air-panes! Oooooh! Wow! Buh bye," as she waves her little hand backwards as they fly off and out of sight.  Air-panes are now fun for the whole family.

To fuel the excitement we took her to lunch at the 94th Aero Squadron – a restaurant that sits right on an airport runway. The cottage-y replica of a French farm house feels as if you have stepped back in time. As we walked up the wooden, spiral staircase we could hear Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters playing through the speakers. The rafters hang vintage aircraft memorabilia, while the cozy fireplace and wood paneling give this old fashioned steak house a sense of warmth and romance of a bygone era.  I could easily envision my grandfather sitting at the brass-rimmed bar enjoying a brandy or scotch on the rocks. So how can this place be baby friendly?

Once we told the hostess about our miniature aviation-enthusiast, she sat us right up against the window with a prime view of the runway.  They brought out a high chair, an airplane themed activity book for her to color on and the best part of all… a styrofoam airplane souvenir!  You remember the kind – you slide the wings through the slots, place the plastic tip on the nose and viola! You have yourself a 3-D, indoor glider (something similar to this). The hubby and I had tons of fun throwing this around our living room. Probably even more fun than Ava. 

There is also plenty to look at in and outside of the 94th.  Airplane wings and military artifacts adorn the dining room, bar and banquet areas while vintage planes, jeeps and large scale replicas decorate the lawns. The highlight of the day for us was going outside to their patio and watching the planes take off and land.  Ava had a blast running around, oohing and aahing as the helicopters and airplanes soared away (this can be very loud and might be a bit scary for sensitive little ones, but Ava loved it).  For a little change of scenery, she would run over to visit the ducks swimming in their gated pond. "Ah! Cute!" she'd exclaim while blowing kisses at them. We also chose the perfect day to visit – the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. We practically had the place to ourselves.

The ambience, the tasty food (they serve large, reasonably priced portions at lunch time and pricier, classic American style dinners in the evenings), the activities and the time spent as a family made it a perfect day.

The 94th Aero Squadron has several locations throughout the U.S.: Van Nuys, CA; Miami, FL; Wheeling, IL; College Park, MD and one in San Diego (although I'm not sure if this one is affiliated even though it looks nearly identical).

www.the94thaerosquadron.com

The 94th Aero Squadron
16320 Raymer St.
Van Nuys, CA 91406
Phone: (818) 994-7437