Now you may be familiar with 2 chix from your own experience or from one of my first ever posts here: http://www.mommybknowsbest.com/2-chix/. They are known as a fun line of maternity shirts made mostly for moms, but some for dads too. Well, recently I found out that they not only carry bump-themed gear, but they also carry kids clothing, and it’s just as cute as their other lines.

Of course I had to try them out, especially after I saw that they had this bee shirt:

I am, afterall, MommyB and have a whole bee family on my site. I thought it was appropriate, and the girls loved it, especially Miss A because she goofs around sometimes calling me, “MommyB”.

We also got to try out their “Suh-weet” t-shirt which was a white fabric, and the girls honestly looked adorable in both. The first thing I noticed after I received the shirts was the amazing shirt quality. The fabric was thick and soft too. So many of the kids clothing stores today offer cheap prices but the fabrics are so thin you have to layer so they’re not see-through, or they just don’t hold up. Having two girls, namely Baby C who’ll inevitably end up with hand-me-downs, I have to make sure that their clothes can survive the daily wear-and-tear.

When I saw the fun designs were, “velvety accents”, I must admit I was really skeptical that these t-shirt adornments would soon be ripped off by my washer and dryer. Much to my surprise, {and delight}, the shirts have held up wash after wash. No pilling, the bee and ice cream cone have stayed put, and the shirts have kept their size too.

The shirts are a little pricey for what I would normally buy the girls at $32.00 a shirt, but with the way it holds up and the fun velvet accents as opposed to normal print, I could definitely see this being a decent purchase, especially if it’s going to be handed down to one or more child in the future. Weird to call a shirt, “an investment”, but that is exactly what came to mind.

My one disappointment in 2 Chix Chicklets line: they only make them in size 2T-5 and 2T-6 in organics. I don’t dress the girls identical a lot, but once and a while is cute, {in my opinion}. What’s your opinion? Cute or not???

Check out 2 chix Chicklet line here: http://www.2chix.com/products/toddler__kids_tees/index.asp and don’t forget they also have maternity clothes for moms and fun shirts for dads, not to mention cute onesies for the wee babes too. Check them out on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/2chixMaternity

What is your favorite 2 Chix Chicklet shirt design?

As I was looking through their website I found some really cute items and thought they would be great for Miss A. They have fun, quirky styles for girls of all ages. Through my searching I also found out that their sock line, which is probably their most popular item, carries socks for babies age 6 months and up, toddlers, girls, women, and even men! Now DaddyB is pretty conservative with his socks so I’m not sure that he’d wear them, but I know my younger sister who is 14 would LOVE some of their styles. I think their city-scape socks are pretty cool.

Whether you’re looking for fun accessories, sock bundles, or even cute clothes I suggest you check out Little Miss Matched, Miss A LOVES her socks, I think mostly because she can express herself even though she is required to wear a uniform to Preschool, and I love it because I don’t have to worry about matching socks when I’m folding laundry!

How much fun right?!?! If you want to check them out head over to Little Miss Matched’s website: http://www.littlemissmatched.com/ and check out their last minute gift ideas and great shipping choices!!

I was able to try out some Little Miss Matched products in order to give my honest thoughts on their products. I was in no way swayed by the company and all the above words and opinions are my own. Your opinions may vary. 

I must admit being a “girl mom”, I enjoy every second of picking out girly clothes. And I’m glad the girls just go with it, {for now at least}. I know it’s not too far off when the girls will be telling me more what they want to wear and less what I think looks adorable, but while I can dress them, I will.

I recently learned about the online clothing shop Hartstrings, and immediately fell in love with their outfits. If you don’t already know I’m a prude when it comes to my girls especially and I make no apologies, I think little girls should be able to dress their age. Hartstrings clothing is age appropriate, stylish, and high quality.

The price point on the clothes as you can see is much higher than a Children’s Place or Carter’s, however so is the quality and style. If I had to compare Hartstrings to a children’s store I would say the pricing and style come close to Gymboree. Hartstrings, however, has hands down, the best quality children’s clothing I have seen in a while.

You know those flimsy, long sleeved t-shirts that you see and buy at every clothing store? The ones you need to have several layers just to stay warm indoors in? How about the ones that you question whether your child should wear and undershirt because it’s so thin you can see through it? Think of those shirts, and then think of the complete opposite and that is the amazing quality of long sleeved t-shirts you can purchase from Hartstrings.

We not only love the quality AND the cut {not to slim or too long}, but the details of the stitching are great too. The designs they put on their shirts can be very simple or more ornate, I love the range. Also, I can tell from the details, of their clothing{I’m a details gal} that Hartstrings is really proud of the work they put out, and I admire companies like that.No outfit would be complete with just a top right? Hartstrings has it all, for boys and girls of all ages. We chose this fun, black, stretch velvet skirt to go with the top. I knew Miss A had to have it because she LOVES to twirl and I could just tell this would be a GREAT twirling dress.

We love the fabric, it’s soooooo soft! The fit was great and lined up with most brand sizes. Our one problem with the skirt is that because this is a “rich” fabric and has lots of layers, and again Hartstrings is using quality materials, the skirt is actually pretty heavy. I know, it’s weird to hear that, but it’s weird for me to say that too. I haven’t really seen or experienced clothes themselves being heavy until now. It’s not a huge issue, especially with my 95% height and weight daughter, however if you have a little peanut like some of our friends this may be something you want to consider and choose a bottom with one or two layers of fabric instead.

Overall, the look of the outfit was really cute and Miss A loved wearing it to church. Here is a picture of Miss A modeling her Hartstrings wear and Baby C {who is not wearing Hartstrings}:

I recommended Hartstrings to my friends who were looking for great holiday outfits for family photos, dress up or casual clothes, and will be buying more Hartstrings myself because, again I am just in love with the quality of their clothes. You definitely get what you pay for in this case and in my humble, penny pinching opinion it’s totally worth it.

Head on over to Hartstrings’ website to check out their fun clothing lines for boys and girls from baby to size 16 kids: http://www.hartstrings.com, make sure you sign up with your email for 10% off your next purchase. PS – I also noticed that they are regularly adding new pieces to their “sale” section including in-season pieces, which not a lot of places do, so now is a great time to take advantage of the holiday clothes that are on sale.

If you’re interested check out Hartstrings on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hartstrings and Twitter: http://twitter.com/hartstringskids and feel free to tell them that MommyB from MommyB Knows Best sent you

I received samples of the product mentioned above in order to perform this honest review by MomSelect. All words and opinions are my own true thoughts about the products, however yours may vary.

Cloth diapers enthusiasts will tell you that you need a detergent specifically formulated for cloth diapers that doesn’t contain optical brighteners, phosphates and other chemicals that can increase the likelihood that your diapers may experience odor or stain issues.

I’ve tried several cloth diaper detergents and believe some work better for us than others because of the hard water we have in the South where I live.

I recently tried Ruby Moon Cloth Diaper Detergent for the first time, and overall, it seems to work well.

With the help of my co-tester, my 3 month old daughter, we washed several loads of soiled cloth diapers using Ruby Moon in the summer lemonade scent.

The scent is very strong when you smell it straight out of the bag. Almost too citrusy – reminds me of kitchen cleaner. However, the scent it leaves in your clothing is almost non-existent (a good thing).

The detergent did a fairly good job of removing the urine and waste. I didn’t notice any lingering odors, although staining remained (more than with some cloth detergents I’ve tried) on the cloth inserts that my daughter had a bowel movement in. However, this is very common, especially with exclusively breastfed babies like my daughter.

The simple fix for that is to place the clean, wet diapers or inserts in the sun. The sun is miraculous – it will remove most, if not all, stains. Even if you don’t cloth diaper, try “sunning” any clothing you have with stains.

Ruby Moon Cloth Detergent is all natural and does not contain phosphates, enzymes, optical brighteners, fabric softener or soap, which is good for the diapers/inserts and my baby’s skin.

I also tried Ruby Moon’s Wipe Bits, which I am now in love with. You take the small cube, drop it in hot water and let it melt. Small “chunks” remained and never completely dissolved, but when you swirl it around, you’re left with a silky, luxurious-feeling liquid that you can use as a wipe solution or to simply clean up any mess on you or your child’s skin. Trust me – you’ll want to use them yourself. I don’t like heavy scents or fragrances because they trigger my allergies, but Ruby Moon’s Wipe Bits have a light, refreshing scent of milk, oatmeal and honey.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with the Ruby Moon products and I would purchase them for our cloth diapering needs, particularly the heavenly Wipe Bits.

You can find Ruby Moon online at www.diaperparties.com/andream or on Facebook: Diaper Parties by Andrea or email Andrea at: andream@diaperparties.com

Although products were provided by Diaper Parties by Andrea for this review, the opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.

After a 10+ years communications career, Jamie K. recently took on her most challenging  job yet – as a full-time CFO (chief family officer). Currently, she lives in Alabama with her husband, an officer in the Air Force, and her toddler son and newborn daughter. 

Last year the girls dressed up as Snow White and her, {ahem} poison apple. Baby C was a cute poison apple for sure though. See:

Adorable girlies I loved that they were themed too, and so did everyone at the parties we attended and houses we stopped at. The girls got lots of, “ooooohs” and “ahhhhs” and “Oh my goodness, they’re too cute” ‘s. I loved it. And this year while both of them are somewhat agreeable I decided to pair them up again.

Miss A has agreed, {and actually is excited} to be Toy Story’s own Lil’ Bo Peep, and Baby C will be her sheep. I am still deciding on which sheep costume I want for Baby C, but here is Miss A’s costume from http://www.childcostumes.com and one I think is cute for Baby C too. What do you think?

We were completely satisfied with the quality of the costume. I really like that the costume came with a cute shepherd’s crook to complete the outfit. Once Miss A put the costume on she did not want to take it off, but alas I convinced her. I love that  fact you can layer with long sleeves or take off the pants depending on the weather outside, because sometimes, depending on what area you live in you can’t tell if it will be warm or cool. One thing to think about when purchasing costumes it that this Halloween costume, and most costumes, do not come with shoes, which is not a big deal since we have a couple pairs of plain black shoes that will coordinate nicely. Also a small note our pants ended up being a little long on Miss A but nothing a little rolling won’t help, plus when in doubt I always say go with a bigger costume than smaller because it’s easier to make alterations.

I also love it when whole families dress up in a theme too, I tried to get DaddyB to dress up as DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba a couple of times, but he just wasn’t having it. Maybe in a few years he’ll warm up to the idea.

What themes have you dressed your children or family up as?

Have you seen any really creative costume ideas?

ChildCostumes.com has a wide variety of costumes whether you decide to go with a family theme or not, check their website out here: http://www.childcostumes.com

I received a costume from http://www.childcostumes.com in order to complete this review. My opinions in this post are my own, honest opinions. Yours may vary.

First off, you have to love the name, Boogie Boutique. Secondly, once you see their line up of uber-cute, frilly, girls clothes and adorable boys wear you’ll have a hard time picking your favorites.

In keeping with the cute, “Look Whoo’s One” owl theme I challenged {and I say challenged as more of a request than a demand}, Boogie Boutique to create a specific look for the onesie, and to my surprise it wasn’t quite what I asked for…..it was much much cuter. They added their own little signature through pink sequins on the owl and coordinated the bow with our Neapolitan colors. I fell in love as soon as I saw it wrapped so sweetly in the package it arrived in.

This three piece set started off with the adorable onesie (you can opt for a t-shirt instead), personalized bloomers with matching bows, and sassy, matching tutu, which Baby C LOVED! Boogie Boutique also has a great selection of hair clips, bibs, burp cloths, embroidered banners, and so much more and not everything has to be matchy-matchy if you want to mix it up a little.

Not only was everything beautifully made, but all of the pink cupcake frosting washed out so Baby C was able to wear it for her 1 year photo shoot, {which you’ll see is coming in a Birthday Bash post soon} and she can wear it until she outgrows it, after all she’ll be one for a year! I encourage you to check out Boogie Boutique’s shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/boogieboutique and look for your child’s next holiday gear.

The End!

I received samples from Boogie Boutique in order to complete my honest review for this post. The opinions expressed in this post are my own opinions, yours may vary.

Yes, a seasonal new beginning. But while Spring cleaning inspires you to redesign your home, your closet and your make-up bag, you can rarely afford to re-style all at once direct from the pages of the luxury fashion
magazines you adore. Thanks to our super power savvy mom smarts, we know these days it’s easier to shop quality and avoid paying full price. But the challenge remains: Who has the energy to race to the outlets with little ones in tow? Even when Spring IS calling?

It’s just these types of parenting lifestyle realities, along with style and affordability, that inspired our team to create BrightZoo – an online member mom marketplace where discounted designer and secondhand maternity and children’s products live side by side.

BrightZoo trunk shows feature high-end specialty items at insider prices, for both mom and her brood. And BrightZoo also offers parents the opportunity to buy or sell the essentials – fashionable maternity and children’s clothing, as well as key family items like gear, toys, books, electronics and more. A one-stop shopping arena for parents who are pressed for time and relieved to know they’re getting the best deals out there.

Visit Brightzoo this Tuesday when our Featured Trunk Shows include a fresh mix of collections up to 75% off, including designers Lunette (precious girl clothing), Soft (organic cotton toddler wear), Tree by Kerri Lee (nursery and gift items), Petit Couture (modern luxury basics for girls), Mai Flores (jewelry for Mom) and Adore la Vie (for the elegant little girl). This limited time trunk show ends Friday, so be sure to browse quickly for yourself and your family.

Visit us and register at: http://www.brightzoo.com
Visit this week’s trunk show at: http://brightzoo.com/featured-trunk-shows

With Love,
Kelly and Jessica – BrightZoo Founders

As Baby C gets bigger I’m finding that  lot of her big sisters clothes are just a little off size and season-wise, even though they’re only 2 months different season wise. Unfortunately lucky for me, I get to do some baby clothes shopping.

I recently checked out My Baby Clothes Boutique. They offer the latest trends in baby clothes at very affordable prices.  We are allowing the reviewer to pick from our catalog, using a $25 limit on the product.Some of the really cute things they carry are baby hats, like this cute flowered one, typically I’m not a HUGE flower mommy (I think it’s mostly a Southern thing) but I adore this hat, what do you think?

they also carry baby headbands which come in handy for babies with and without hair, baby clothes, gifts, and my favorite, being the mom of two girls, baby tutus!!

I adore this pretty pink pettiskirt, I love the waterfall of frills!

My Baby Clothes Boutique is great for boys too, check out this adorable fedora that I really adora!

and lastly, since Baby C’s first birthday is coming up in March, we love this cute outfit!

What’s your favorite article of baby clothing that you own or have been drooling over??

My Baby Clothes Boutique is giving one lucky MommyB Knows Best reader a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to their online store.

Here’s how to win:

Using the ENTRY FORM directly below this post (NOT the comment form), submit your name, an email address that you check regularly, and the entry/entries you are submitting all at the same time. There is no need to fill out separate entry forms for each item you complete. *Please note the Mandatory Entry MUST be typed into the form BEFORE you can qualify for additional entries.

Giveaway ends January 21st @12:00 am. The winners will be chosen at random, verified, emailed, and announced in a Winner’s post. The winners will have 48 hours to respond to the email from MommyB to claim the prize, if the prize is not claimed within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You must be a US resident and 18 years or older to enter.

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

First up are Pajama Pants….these darling bottoms are not quite pajamas but not quite pants…they’re the perfect birth between the two and we’re so blessed to have the opportunity to look fashionable and be comfortable at the same time!! (sense any sarcasm?)

You can wear them anywhere, to a funeral, when you are in labor, on the verge of a mental breakdown and still look fabulous! They’re especially great for moms and plus sizers according to the commercial. You can even get as versatile as to roll up the cuff (exposing the pajama like underneath) for a different look.

Sorry men they don’t make them for you….yet, and kids, well, I’m guessing they’ll be some knock off coming out soon for you too! But in the meantime if you want to try Pajama Jeans I won’t tell.Check out the website for more information and even an informative video on how you can get your very own pair of Pajama Jeans and maybe even a cool crew neck free if you call now (or in a week, or a month,) https://www.pajamajeans.com/flare/next and if you really do try them I want pictures and a full review!!!

Next up is the iPhone for Verizon Wireless, okay okay so it’s not out yet, but word has been that it’s coming out soon, I know I know it’s been a long time coming and no one really knows when but everyone’s so excited so I guess I should be too right?? I have the iPod touch 4G and I love it, and my cell phone too. Of course it would be handy to have the iPhone instead of having two devices but how much will I end up paying for it with my 2 year contract?? We shall see….anyone else super excited about the iPhone and Verizon??

And before I get off here and get myself into trouble I’ll introduce you to one more New in 2011 product so far…one I definitely can use! It’s….Cami Secret. Are your boobs always falling out of your shirt? Do you need to be a little more discrete? Well the solution is here!!

You’re not alone, 1 in 4 women (not an actual statistic) suffer from Cleavage Overload Syndrome (not an actual disease) , better known as COS. Whether you’re hanging out with your teenage son’s friends, leading the choir at church, or signing up for the PTA, you don’t have to suffer with COS anymore! Buy your Cami Secret now and avoid this sticky work situation:

“You love that low cut top for going out at night but sometimes showing that much cleavage just isn’t right.”  So go get your Cami Secrets now!! http://camisecret.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1 Get 6 for $10 and a little tip I learned, when you try to click off the page without purchasing you can get an additional $3 off  using the discount code DISC3 imagine that, 6 Cami Secrets for just $7. (DaddyB really thinks I should buy these, is that a hint??)

I have tried out their super cute Agoo Leggings that protect and keep baby’s legs warm, and their newer line Tushie Huggers, which is more of a skirt/legging combonation. Both sets have stood the test of time. They are in great shape, have not stretched out, and have their original colors even after several washes!

I recommend Agoo products to anyone I know. Agoo is giving my readers a special discount. When you order use the code “mb40off” (that’s mb the number fourty and then off) to receive 40% off your purchases through January 1st, 2011.

Go to Agoo’s website here to check out their great line of baby, girls, and boys clothes and accessories: http://www.agoo4u.com

Now, if you haven’t checked out Mother Of A Sale they have three main sections on their site; Mother of a Daily Deal, Mother of a Discount, and Mother of a Coupon (coming soon). Here’s an image of how their sales look, showing the competitors pricing and Mother of a Sale’s pricing:

They have some pretty amazing deals. Go check out their site at http://www.motherofasale.com/

And now for a…..DUAL Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Agoo is giving one lucky MommyB Knows Best reader a $50 gift certificate to their store AND Mother of a Sale is giving one lucky MommyB Knows Best reader a $25 gift certificate to their website.

How to Win:

We’re doing things a little different for the Holiday Gift Guide Giveaways so please be sure to read the directions to make sure your entries count. Entries will be recorded through the comment form below this post. Each entry must be in a separate comment, one comment form per entry. Please be sure to write in the comment box the entry you are completing.

(ie, 1 comment will say, “Following MommyBKnowsBest on Facebook” then you submit it, the next comment will say, “Following MommyBKnowsBest on Twitter” and so forth. The more you complete the more entries you will have towards the giveaway.

Entries include:

1. Go to http://www.agoo4u.com and tell me what your favorite product is

2. Go to http://www.motherofasale.com, click on Daily Deal and tell me your favorite deal.

2. Follow Me on Twitter

3. Follow Me on Facebook

4. Subscribe to my Blog

5.  Add my Blog Button to your Blog and tell me the link address under mandatory entry

6. Friend me on Google Friend Connect

7. Follow Agoo on Facebook

8. Follow Mother of a Sale on Facebook

9. Follow Agoo on Twitter

10. Follow Mother of a Sale on Twitter

11. Enter any of my giveaways and tell me which one(s) one entry per contest entered

12.**Daily entry** Update FB status using @mommybknowsbest & @agoo4you @motherofasale linking to this post

Giveaway ends December 15th, 2010 @12:00 am. The winner of the Agoo drawing will be chosen first and then a new winner will be chose for the Mother of a Sale giveaway. The winners will be chosen at random, verified, emailed, and announced in a Winner’s post. The winners will have 48 hours to respond to the email from MommyB to claim the prize, if the prize is not claimed within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You must be a US resident and 18 years or older to enter.