Wateroos to the Rescue!

Keeping the family hydrated during hot summer months usually falls on mom. Portability is key, and big ol' water bottles are often too bulky to lug around. Wateroos to the rescue.

Wateroos are H2O in a juice box with drinking straw. Genius! Why didn't I think of that? They pack easily in a lunch box or pool bag and are easy to grab and go. 

Flavors come in original (you know, unflavored tap-like), apple, berry, and grape. Water is 100% purified, and each has a game or puzzle on the back of the carton. And there's no denying the packaging is stinkin' adorable. 

Wateroos are sold at specialty stores. Click here to find a retailer near you. Or you can order online here. A package has 6 cartons. Online orders can be placed for 2 packages for $6.58 or 4 packages for $10.99.

Cheers to Germ-Free Dining

I can count on one hand the number of times we've taken Olivia to a restaurant this year. We just don't eat out often as a rule, but adding a baby to the mix makes it a special challenge. I thought about investing in a restaurant high chair cover but seemed like a waste of money. Then I found disposable high chair covers. Problem solved!

Made by Clean Shopper, the Disposable Clean Dinner 3-Pack comes with three high-chair covers and a reusable safety strap to keep your tot in place - for $7.99. What a steal. The hook and loop tabs hold the cover to the seat, and the material is water resistant. It compacts easily for toting in diaper bags so you always have it when the need arrises. 

Clean Shopper makes other fantastic mom-friendly products including the grocery-store cart cover, which I use religiously (imagine the germs on the cart handle every one in the neighborhood has touched! ew!). That is worth investing in the real deal if you take your baby to the store regularly. If not, there is a disposable option for grocery carts too.

Cheers to germ free dining and grocery shopping.

Slick Sugar just like a young girl should, yeah

People who aren't from 'round these parts think midwesterners are a bunch of hill jacks - a whole lot country, not so much rock 'n roll. While there's some truth in every stereotype, cool midwest moms can buck the anti-fashionable profile. Thanks to the Internet, we have the power to be and dress our kids just as fierce as any big-city folk.

Slick Sugar is one such Web site that offers moms every where ultra cool clothing choices for their tots. Olivia has several tees and a pair of black capris from their line, and she gets tons of wear out of them. Color stays true through multiple washings. The edgy graphics on the tops are rockin'. Olivia has the Boombox (been a while since you've heard that word, right?), and I'm dying to buy her the Cassette Tonal Stripe tee. If I had a boy, I'd buy the Drummer Tee - better on a shirt than in real life. 

Best part is a portion of Slick Sugar's proceeds goes to Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, which supports music education. Now that's music to my ears.

No Doubt, Harajuku is Cool

Gwen Stefani's line of clothing and accessories - Harajuku Lovers- is Asian-inspired fashion for girls young and not-so-young. Safely edgy, the newest pieces in the girls collection are so fun for summer. I love the Sakura Doll Tee (left) and the Kids Twisted Tank, which has a cute criss-cross back. Sizes go from 2-14 and prices start at $33. 

Moms can get in on the action too. I'm coveting the HL Training Camp tee and HL Bandana Halter. 

Hey baby, hey! We're gonna be fashionistas this summer!

Living the Posh Mom Life

You know that mom who is always put together? You hate her, right? She has the most expensive diaper bag and stroller, she wears a bikini to Baby Splish-Spash class... and looks good in it, her stylish boots are never scuffed, and her kids are dressed to the nines. What if you knew all her secrets to pulling off this seemingly impossible feat?

Living the Posh Mom Life by Jara Negrin and Amy Nebens gives the inside scoop on how to be a polished modern mom. They give advice and time-saving tips on keeping your wardrobe up-to-date, entertaining and home organizing ideas, balancing work and life, and keeping your relationships in tip-top shape. The idea is ever woman can be posh with no sweat. It should be effortless and every one has potential to get there. 

Their book is an easy read, perfect for new moms or ones about to lose their minds (that's all mom's, right?). Their writing style can be overbearing and heavy on the buzz words, but overall its worth a peruse. Who knows? Maybe it will convert you to poshness.

Myrtle the, er, Skin Care

With the cost of fuel and food rising faster than the Supercharged Mach 5 takes a lap, any purchase beyond a necessity is well thought out. So when I spent 18 bucks on a facial cleanser, I was hoping - praying- the splurge would be worth the sacrifice. I wasn't disappointed.

Myrtle Leaf All Natural Skin Care is a line made of 100% plant-derived ingredients - essential oils and extracts - and are formulated to be anti aging. Products are handmade and smell so amazingly pure and wholesome. I look forward to washing my face every night. The granulated Lemon Myrtle cleanser has tiny scrubby nubs that leave my skin feeling soft and smooth. And did I mention how good they smell? 

Myrtle also carries toners, eye creams, and moisturizers as well as all natural make up. A package deal of skin care starts $56.

Bee Keeper

You know how some baby clothes just make you smile? Happy Green Bee does it for me. So many organic clothing lines are nothing but neutrals. Happy Green Bee nixes that trend and goes right for the bright, happy stripes. 

From top to bottom, Happy Green Bee outfits dress your tot in stingingly cool outfits. Berets are absolutely irresistible all the way down to the stripped socks to complete the ensemble. If you really want to impress the moms at Mommy and Me, buy the matching doll. Yes. A matching doll, also made with organic cotton.

Available in sizes 6 months to 3 years and totally affordable; tees and leggings go for $18, dresses for $36, and skorts $30.