shak-shuka

Woolen Wrap Gift Wish

Dear Yenta/Santa Claus,

If you're reading this, I just have to say I found the thing I'd love for the holidays: the Carga Woolen Wrap. Why oh why did I subscribe to their newsletter so I could be informed about their latest (and greatest) creation that is exclusive to us readers? Adding insult to injury, it's a limited edition item - only 20 produced! How's that for handmade? Like everything Carga makes, it combines multi-function with minimalistic, rustic style that just oozes "gimme gimme". But not that I would ever say "gimme" Santa/Yenta Claus.....I've been a good girl.....so - PULEEZ will you get me this???!

Love,

Me

Fracas for the Holidays

As you can imagine, we're a bit late with everything these days now that we're a house of Baby Shuka. So things that involve the holidays are usually started with a "oh no! I totally forgot that" moment. Case in point: holiday cards. Whoops, we (didn't) do it again!

It's hard to find just the right holiday card that isn't too cheesy (think Bridget-Jones-style-sweaters) or boring (can you think of anything more unique than "Happy Holidays"? c'mon!). I am L-O-V-I-N-G these cards made by Fracas Cards that feature vintage stamps and that have a great story behind them. You can see the available desings on their Etsy shop or Facebook page. And if you're lucky enough to live in London, you can swing by Liberty to pick yourself up a pack...or two....or one for me too!

Do Good (Eye)Glasses

Leave it to our BFF over at the undeniably hip Coos & Ahhs to lead us to an eyeglass company that makes some of the coolest hipster specs ever. Enter: Warby Parker glasses. On the fantastic site, you can "try" on the glasses with a photo that you upload of yourself, they send them to you in the mail (at a crazy reasonable price) and they have a "buy a pair, give a pair" program similar to Tom's shoes that shares the wealth and the gift of sight by providing a pair of glasses to someone in need. If you're like me, grab a few pairs because you never know when life (or your child) will squish, steal or lose your next pair!

Personalized Photos on Bamboo

Since we've recently become a family of four, things have become quite a circus. I didn't want to neglect our blog for too long, so our posts will be short and sweet for the coming weeks. Still wanted to leave you with a bit of eco inspiration though!

I caught a glimpse of these Bamboo Wall Art Decor by Paper Culture on Cool Mom Picks a bit ago, and think they would make a great addition, to - well, our newest addition (Baby No.2). I just love the richness the bamboo gives the image, and it saves me the brain space of having to think of a frame to put the picture in!

Holiday Giveaway: Tinti Bathtime Fun Pack

So without further ado...our first Holiday Giveaway!

And what a doozy it is! To be honest, if we could enter ourselves, we would! This amazing gift set will keep kids beyond happy while getting squeaky, eco-y, clean. This incredible Tinti Bathtime Fun pack includes:

Kneadable Soap - Yellow Octopus Bath Toy - Painting Soap (x 1) - Magic Tinti Towel - Magic Bath Wand - Octopus Play Soap (x 1) - Squeaky Bath Toy (x 1) - Bath Tub Puzzle - Crackle Bath Pops

 

To win this great Giveaway package, there are 3 ways to enter:

1) leave a comment here (be sure to include your email address so we can contact you)

2) follow us on Facebook and leave a comment under the Tinti Bathtime Fun Pack blog post

3) follow us on Twitter and re-tweet our Tinti Bathtime Fun Pack blog post

The more ways you enter, the better your chances are to win! The deadline for this giveaway is Monday, November 14th at 10am (GMT). The winner will be chosen at random and announced the following Friday when we'll announce our next giveaway!

Bloggin' Best Halloween Ideas

Happy pre-Halloween! If you're anything like me, you may have forgotten that this fun holiday has creepy creeped up on us with a vengeance! What - Halloween's in a few days? No worries, we've got you covered. Well, I guess not us, but let's call it the "Bloggin' Best Halloween Ideas - so thank you to all of you lovely blogs out there doing the hard work for us!

DECORATIONS: I personally don't go that crazy, despite what our daughter would like. So, I'm going to be making some creepy crawly spider webs with this simple method: take cotton balls, stretch them out to look like cotton webs, and spray them like crazy with strong hold (steal it from your mother, like I would!) hairspray and add some fun spiders to keep it authentic. Besides this, we'll make this fun and adorably spooky Halloween Banner that Happy Thought has generously made available - for FREE! Get to printin' and you'll have a cute way to bring the Halloween-y-mood.

COSTUMES: luckily Lil'Miss Shuka is currently in the costume mood, so we have plenty to choose from this year. Phew! One less thing for me to think about (she's going with a ballerina theme - surprise surprise). Now the heat is being turned on myself and Papa Shuka, so we're scrambling for ideas. Luckily Papa Shuka is an architect, so he'll do something building related - I think he'll borrow a hardhat and go as Bob the Builder, or I personally would love to see him rock this building crown/hat. For me, well - I would be best suited as the Very Hungry Caterpillar, but my mind goes blank when I think about how to do that. So - our pals at Bambino Goodies to the rescue! As if they read my bulging belly brain, a nice set of Bat Wings from the ingenious My Poppet site is just the ticket for this very pregnant mama. I'm thinking all of that black will be very slimming, and I think I actually have an old spandex-y scarf so it's a real eco Halloween craft!

FOOD: so it looks like we'll be having a mini Halloween party this weekend with some of our favorite kiddos. The menu is a bit sketchy as we have to feed not only parents with a grown-up palette, but also kids that will want to run around and burn off some of that sugar. For the main dish for the grown-ups, I'm thinking this Cauldron Curry (with seitan) and some rice, and for the kids, some simple Cheese Calzones with bloody-red tomato sauce. I figure it's a safe bet and they'll love it! For dessert, you can't go wrong with Caramel Apples, and our other BFFs at Babyccino Kids have a recipe so simple, it *seems* almost foolproof (can't vouch for that yet, as I might end up being a fool when I make them!). If all else fails, we'll have gift bags of candy for the kids to get them through!

Ada Ada Necklaces Rock

My love for Ada Ada has been well documented - they make some of the most beautiful, and completely wearable (read: wash/dry magic! no dry cleaning/ironing needed!) clothes that both kids and adults love. Not to mention that the family behind the clothes is equally beautiful - a tour de force of a sisterly trio so amazing, you might just try and squeeze yourself next to them to see if you're passable as the fourth missing sister!

So this season they do NOT disappoint with their amazing galatic-inspired collection: think moon, stars, dust and everything done in tasteful colors that will mix and match with everything in the collection (not to mention the kids wardrobe already). What I love about Ada Ada is that they're also branching out in other directions as well - this season they included some fantastic tights, which both myself and my daughter love. But now....well, they've gone and done it again with these fantastic Rock Necklaces! I had actually seen a picture of one of the owner's sons wearing it, and as I was about to ask where they got it, they told me that they made them and that I was going to be able to share them with our customers! "YIPPEE" I believe were my exact words, and I think you'll agree. Handmade, poly/cotton loops with funky charms are just the thing that both boys and girls will love. My personal fave? How they look layered one on top of the other, super cool and incredibly lightweight and totally wearable (the Ada Ada trademark, I think). Maybe the Ada Ada sisters have started a kids accessories revolution!

Priti Pedi Solution

Even though I can't really see my toes, I still dream about pedicures. In New York, women get mani/pedis about every week, and I just love that tradition. Going there with your best girlfriends, laughing and giggling (mostly induced by the vibrating chairs) and enjoying a therapeutic foot soak while your toesies get the royal treatment. Here in the Netherlands they haven't quite caught up to this concept, and people who touch your feet have to be licensed to do so (lucky them!) and they wear surgical gloves during the whole pedicure, which makes for a very "interesting", and sometimes painful foot rub!

Needless to say, I've gotten used to doing my own nails. And yes, I am lucky enough to have access to the best and most eco-friendly nail products on the market: Priti NYC. Usually the smell of nail polish and remover makes me gag, but I have to say, Priti NYC products don't make me gag, in fact I LOVE the smell! Something between a fruity and baby-sweet smell, I just love that I'm not inhaling toxic fumes and it's safe enough for my daughter to use as well. It's been well documented that their Priti polish wears like iron (I wore it for 10 days straight with no chipping - which included a trip to Germany, Denmark and many trade shows!) and their polish remover is a unique formula based on soy and completely non-toxic. For the girls on the go, Priti just came out with a new set of Soy Polish Remover Wipes which I am in LOVE with! Easy peasy and no mess, it's great for getting off the kids nail polish that seems to change every week. And with Halloween just around the corner, I have to say the Glow in the Dark Princess Polish is flying off the shelves and these Soy Polish Remover Wipes are just the ticket once the holidays are over (but not the fun!).

Abeego Has Food Covered

Besides full-on nesting mode, I've gone into "Kitchen Armageddon Preparation" in case the little baby decides to show himself early. I seem to have this inate fear of being left without enough food, and for my family, that fear is even more deep. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard my daughter say the words "I'm hungry" without having food shoved immediately into her mouth. Ah, instant gratification!

Clearly I've been cooking up a storm to prepare for the baby's arrival and the days after when the LAST thing on my mind will be cooking (what will be on my mind? radio silence!). I have to admit - filling up the freezer is pretty impressive, but also daunting. I find that I'm running out of containers, and I really despise using plastic/cling wrap on top. Imagine my delight when I read that there is an eco-alternative to plastic wrap: Abeego reusable food storage. The Abeego that I've got my eyes on for "Operation Freezer Filler" are the "Flats" which work the same as plastic/cling wrap, but instead they are made from beeswax, tree resin and jojoba oil infused into hemp fabric which makes it "mold" onto your choice of container. I personally love the eco idea of this, and the child in me thinks this sounds like the coolest thing I've ever heard of. So, my package of Abeego better hurry up and make it in time before the little man arrives!

Mama's Rockin' Boots

If you follow us on Twitter, you'll know that I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect slip-on boots that require absolutely no effort (ie - doesn't require bending over a big fat baby belly!) and are comfortable to boot (pun intended). Believe it or not, this challenge is much more difficult than I thought. Almost as tough as bending over a baby belly and lacing up boots that aren't that comfortable anyways...

I was delighted when I spotted in MAMA Magazine a pair of boots that were calling my name: Goliath "On Stage" boots. Ok, I could do without the name (I mean, when will I be "on stage"?!), but the look of them just made my feet melt. Easy, slip-on style (even has a little tab on the back to help us pull them on without too much effort) and believe it or not: arch support! I find this is a rarity, especially among boots. Being the obsessive-compulsive lady that I am, I Googled the company, found out where they sold them in my town, and ran out one hour later and tried them on. Little did I know they have a faux-sheepskin lining which is very Ugg-like and oh-so-comfortable! I nearly cried in relief when I put them on, and have worn them every single day since. Not sure about the eco-factor of the boots, but seeing as I will be wearing them non-stop and not buying any more boots, that's eco enough for this soon-to-be-double-mama!