Mr. Richard and Paparazzi Parents

Mr. Richard is a celebrity around Orlando, but he's also been featured nationally in Parenting magazine, Cookie magazine and even The New York Post. He may have played in rock bands through high school and college, but at one point turned to kid's music....award-winning kid's music.

He even has groupies, little girls and boys who bring their guitars to his free "concerts" at schools, libraries and book stores around town. They know all the words to his music. My two-year-old and I have been to a few of his "concerts," and I've seen these groupies. They are hilarious. One thing is for sure, everyone there is having a good time.

My favorite is his song "Cheese" where he talks about PAPARAZZI PARENTS. I'm sooo guilty of being a paparazzi parent, and I'm sure most of you baby blog addicts are too. I ALWAYS have my camera with me and say "cheese" to my son quite often. Can you relate? Mr. Richard even has a music video for "Cheese" on You Tube. It's quite comical. Check it out here. You can purchase his CDs in the right column on his About page.

Chalkboard, Magnetic & Dry Erase Paint

I have been amazed with chalkboard paint ever since I first heard about it and tried it. But I recently came across more amazing options for kids' walls. There's a magnetic paint, dry erase paint and even glow in the dark paint!

These I found are made by RustOleum and can be found at most home stores or paint stores. One of their newest products is a Chalkboard Tint Base which allows you to choose from 12 colors including Fresco Red, Peapod and Grape Fizz to name a few.

Check out this creative wall mural using chalkboard paint (RealSimple.com). I recently saw another picture in a magazine that had large chalkboard rectangles painted around the room. Each had a whimsical, white frame painted around the chalkboard. It looked so real and gave a sophisticated touch to a "chalkboard" in a little girl's playroom.

Robeez Luxury Collection

Check out these adorable Sweet Cupcake shoes from the Robeez Luxury Collection. They are perfect for any little girl to attend a birthday party and for her very own first birthday! A little pricey at $39.95, but oh so sweet and special.

Try Out Free Trial Classes

Most summer camps require kids to be at least three years old to attend, but here are some other organized activities that you might want to consider signing your baby or toddler up for. These indoor activities are especially good during the heat of summer and the friendships you and your child make will probably last beyond the summer sessions.

Most of these offer a FREE trial class and who doesn't like free things? Sign up for a few different free trials, so you can test them out and see what's the best fit for you and your child. You'll also have a lot of fun participating in and potentially meeting new people in the free classes in the meantime.

Here are some to consider:

1. Gymboree Play and Music - 0-5 years of age; fitness, yoga, arts and music in seven program levels.
   
   
2. My Gym Children's Fitness Center - helps children six weeks to thirteen years of age develop physically, cognitively and emotionally.
   
   
3. Kindermusik - the world's leading publisher of music and movement curricula for parents and their children, ages newborn to 7 years old.
   
   
4. Gymnastics Center - check your local gymnastics centers for mommy and me type classes. If your toddler likes gymnastics enough, they may graduate to classes on their own.
   
   
5. Fitness Centers - If you have a family fitness center in your area, they may offer various mommy and me classes which are great way for your child to burn off energy indoors and for you to meet other parents. Many offer free trial classes too.
   
   
6. Churches - Some churches offer mommy and me programs. If your own church doesn't, look at other churches in the area for this type of program. Many of them don't require you to be a member of their church.

Let us know about any other national or local classes in the comments section here. You may be able to introduce other BBA readers to a free trial class that might turn into their favorite activity too!

Introducing Jackaroos Boutique

In addition to our family's personal blog and BabyBlogAddict.com, we've added a new web-based venture to our lives and I'm excited to share it with all of you!

JackaroosBoutique.com is my own online boutique offering custom clothing and gifts for babies and children. I personally make all of the blankets, bibs, burp cloths, loveys, dresses and john-john rompers using boutique-style fabrics. Each can also be customized with an embroidered name to make it even more unique.

Of course, I couldn't launch Jackaroos Boutique without its own blog, so I've added another blog to my life. Check out the Jackaroos Boutique Blog to see my journey and to keep up with my new items.

**Get 10% off your first purchase by helping me spread the word. Just add a link to us in your own blog's side bar - either a text link to www.JackaroosBoutique.com or a banner link (html code in box below). Then send a short note to jennifer@jackaroosboutique.com with a link to your blog (I won't publish your link anywhere) and I'll send you a 10% off coupon code.

To add the Jackaroos Boutique banner including a link to JackaroosBoutique.com, just cut and paste the following code into your blog's sidebar:

<a href="http://www.JackaroosBoutique.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Jackaroos Boutique Logo for link" src="http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm172/jackaroosboutique/JackaroosBoutiqueLogoforlink.jpg" /></a>

It will look like this...

BumpyName Orbit Labels

Throw away the markers for labeling your kids' sippy cups. We have better and cuter options for you. A while back we featured Baby Labels on BBA. Now, here's another way to label your kids' sippy cups.

BumpyName Orbit Labels are a great solution for labeling bottles, sippy cups, snack containers and other drink containers. I haven't used them yet, but I've heard a lot of great things about them from other moms. They are non-adhesive, so you can use them to tag different items, but if you want to keep them on the same cups and containers all the time, they are also dishwasher and microwave safe.

$12.95 will get you four custom labels and you can get a four pack of two-line custom labels for just $1 more. The two-line labels are also great to list a food allergy below the child's name as a reminder to child care providers.

Website Spotlight: The Craft Crow

Some of you may be just recovering from winter, I'm already thinking about how hot the summer will be here in the South.

Here's a fun blog of great crafts for rainy days and the upcoming hot days of summer. The Crafty Crow features lots of creative activities and links to other creative sites too. They even have a breakdown in the right column by child's age, so you can easily find age appropiate crafts with the click of a button.

Free Potty Training Success DVD

Pull-Ups is giving away free Potty Training Success DVDs. All you need to do is fill out a quick form online to register and you will be sent the DVD in 4-6 weeks, while supplies last.

Ten Reasons to Hold your Toddler

Some parents begin to think that toddlers shouldn’t be held as much as they were holding their babies a few months ago. But Joanne Baum says that’s largely a misperception. Toddlers still need a lot of holding. Check out what she has to say in "Pick Me Up, Mommy."

The Dwink Juice Box Holder

Is it possible for a toddler to drink out of a drink box or pouch without squirting the juice on their face or shirt at some point? Yes it is. Check out the Dwink juice box holder.

This is a great addition to your arsenal of supplies, but it's also a cute take-home gift for a birthday party. Just write each child's name on the Dwink juice box holders. Let them use it at the party and then take it home too. They are available in blue, pink, orange and purple for $4.76 each at Baby Center.

Check out these other theme juice box holders - Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Elmo and Dora the Explorer. Perfect for theme birthday parties.

The Perils of Potty Training

A humorous success story...except for the part about the child walking in poop barefoot then prancing around the house.

Toddler Activities from Sprout

Looking for some inside activites since we're in the dead of winter? Check out PBS Kids Sprout Craft Ideas. They have some fun ideas to keep kids entertained and most of the supplies are things you have around the house.

My son made the rainstick, but improvised a bit since we had a toilet paper roll instead of a wrapping paper roll, so it was more like a music shaker. He had so much fun coloring it, putting stickers on it, adding rice to it and of course, shaking it! I think the pretend binoculars will be our next project.

If you have a baby/toddler, keep a box for empty toilet paper, paper towel and wrapping paper rolls. You will definitely use them for lots of projects.

Nuby - The Best Sippy Cup

If you are looking for the perfect sippy cup to transition your child off the bottle, look no further. The Nuby No-Spill™ Spout was recommended to me for my son and now I recommend it to all parents too. Nuby says it's for babies 6 months+ (although my son didn't make the transition until 12 months).

The Nuby No-Spill™ Spout is made of soft silicone which makes the transition off the bottle much easier than going straight to a hard top sippy cup. They are reasonable at about $2 each and easy to clean with only two parts - the cup and the lid.

Let us and your fellow Baby Blog Addicts know what you think about the Nuby or if you have any other sippy cup suggestions on the Product Reviews section of our forum (registration required for log in) or in the comments section below.

Child Height Predictor

Find out how tall your child will be at parentcenter.com. This calculator works for children age 2 and up.

Parents' heights are a good predictor of a child's adult height, but heredity only accounts for about 70% of what goes into deciding how tall someone will be. The other 30% comes from environmental factors, like eating habits (poor nutrition can "stunt" a child's growth) and exercise patterns (a competitive gymnast may not grow to her full potential).

Sometimes a child will surprise everyone and turn out much taller or shorter than either parent. This calculator can't account for that possibility. It also won't work well for children who 1) are exceptionally tall, 2) are already taller than both their parents, or 3) have a condition that affects their height, such as growth hormone deficiency.

Christmas Gift: Tickets for Live Show

Here's a great last-minute gift idea for babies and toddlers. Order tickets online for an upcoming live show in your area and just wrap a picture of the tour's stars or a stuffed animal or toy of the character.

Here are a few ideas:

1) Playhouse Disney Live! - Just enter your zip code & select show "Playhouse Disney Live" to find out if they will perform in your area.

2) Sesame Street Live - Search their entire North American tour date list or narrow it down by state.

3) Doodlebops Live - Check out their live concerts through March 2008.

4) Disney on Ice - Monster's Inc., Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey, Princess Wishes, 100 Years of Magic and The Incredibles.

Toddler's Art Sells Online

As is often the case with modern art, it has been said that Freddie Linsky's paintings look like they could have been created by a two-year old. In Freddie's case, it's true.

Freddie's mother posted her son's paintings on an art gallery web site that lets anyone exhibit and sell their works online. As an art critic and art teacher, she said she thought they were above average and wanted to see what others thought. Freddie sold his first painting last year and a gallery in Berlin expressed interest, but she will not reveal its name. Neither the buyer nor the gallery knew Freddie's age.

Freddie's profile on the gallery's site doesn't state his age, saying only that "the artist's whole life has been dedicated to his art" and that he is an art critic and a familiar face at press viewings at major galleries and exhibitions in London. Both of those facts are true, just not exactly as they seem.

"On The Go" Potty Seat

The PRIMO Folding Potty Seat with Handles is an "on the go" potty seat. It's a folding potty seat with handles making it possible for childen to use any public toilet as if they were at home! It folds easily into a compact item that slips it into a sealing storage bag and right into your diaper bag or purse.

With so much traveling over the holidays, this seems like a great product to have. If your child has just potty trained and is used to going on a smaller potty or seat, this will be a lifesaver for your toddler when visiting relatives or having to potty at the airport or restaurants.

Thanks for introducing us to this nifty product, Cindy.

Creative Baby Proofing

Worried about your baby or toddler trying to reach for the ornaments or pull down the Christmas tree?

Here are two ideas that might not be the prettiest, but they work.

1) Do you own a Superyard XT? Set it up around your Christmas tree and the presents. Our son didn't like to play in his much, but it was worth the investment when we used a it around our entertainment center when he was reaching at everything. At $64.99 at Babies R Us, it isn't cheap, but it might be worth it to keep your sanity throughout the holiday season and for safety's sake.

2) If you are not using your Pack n Play and you have a small Christmas tree, just reverse roles. Put the tree & presents in the pack n play and let your child play on the floor with the tree out of reach.

DVD - Leap Frog Letter Factory

A fellow blogger wrote that her twins love the LeapFrog Letter Factory DVD. She said it was a great learning tool for them to learn phonics and she was amazed at how quickly they picked it up. I took her advice and bought it for my son Jack and he loves it too.

The DVD received five stars and rave reviews from parents online. Here's a quick desciption of the DVD:

Tad, Leap, and Lily hop from the pages of the amazingly popular Leap Pad learning toys onto the television screen in this attention grabbing phonics program.

Thanks for the DVD recommendation, Nikki.

Also of note, a great companion to the DVD is the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnet Set. These would make great Christmas gifts.

Picky Eaters...They Get It From You

Researchers examined the eating habits of 5,390 pairs of twins between 8 and 11 years old and found children’s aversions to trying new foods are mostly inherited. The message to parents: It’s not your cooking, it’s your genes. According to the report, 78 percent is genetic and the other 22 percent environmental.