Fashion & Gear - Weblogs

Trying to collect money for a group gift can be a pain in the butt. From teacher and coach appreciation gifts to showers and birthday gifts, FrumUS is an alternate way to collect funds. You can set a collection deadline date, tally votes on what to buy, send reminders, and get notified when payments are received. The service is free, but the site makes money when you buy gifts through their affiliated shops so they’d appreciate if you shopped online via their site.

The only caveat is one person (the collector) needs to have a PayPal account (and a Premier account if you are collecting more than five credit card payments) and everyone else needs them to in order to send payment. I’ve had a PayPal account for over ten years so it’s no big deal for me personally, but some people don’t want one or can’t have one.

– Danielle

TheCradle.com’s new Playroom was described to me like a virtual Mommy and Me class or mom’s group where moms are exchanging their favorite products, stores, and advice with each other. They’ve created an interface where you can share what you know and are learning about things you didn’t know like “have you heard about the new hands-free Medela breastpump?” or “do you know which supermarkets sell Motts for Tots drinkboxes?” or even “did you hear what Jennifer Garner named her new baby baby?” Of course, like an wiki or database, it is what you make it so hop on over to the Playroom and see what tips other moms are sharing and even share your own!

What do these things have in common?

Graco, Honda, Johnson’s Baby, stride rite, Maclaren, Pampers, Avent, Coppertone Water Babies, IKEA, Canon PowerShot, and Gerber Nuk.

If you said they’re some of your go-to brands for your family, you’re not alone. They are just a few of the brands and products selected by Cookie Magazine’s Word of Mom 2008 Reader Panel as their favorites. For the full list, visit CookieMag.com, and to join the panel and vote on your favorites for the 2009 awards. (Be sure to select “online” and write us in as your favorite mom/community site!

Mommy Track’d is running a giveaway that is really too good to be true (but it is!) leading up to Mother’s Day with Benefit Cosmetics. You could win a $500 gift card for benefitcosmetics.com.  $500 at Benefit could take care of an amazing Mother’s Day gift for oneself and your whole Mother’s Day shopping list all in one fell swoop! Plus they’re offering runners-up prizes of five $50 gift cards. I don’t enter giveaways but I just entered this one.

Check it out at http://www.mommytrackd.com/Giveaway.

What would YOU buy with $500 at Benefit? That high beam and moon beam stuff looks good to me.

Do you have trouble remembering which brands of bottles, sippy cups and plastic feeding ware are BPA-free when you’re at the store?Have you been meaning to replace some bottles or a sippy cup, but have a hard time deciding when you’re staring at all those products on the shelf?Check out Z Recommend’s fabulous Z Report via mobile phone! Get the same info they have on their website, which is always up to date.

Here’s how it works.
Text "zrecs" plus a company name and/or a product category to 69866.You’ll get a text back (or occasionally two) providing the BPA statusof products by that company and/or in that category. The first word of the text message must be zrecs or it won’t work. Current categoriesare bottles, sippys, pacifiers, and tableware. For more info, visit Z Recommends.

Add the info to your phone now (create an entry in your address book).

You can also print out their wallet card, although obviously, it’s not self-updating.

Alpha Mom’s Product Ratingssystem allows parents to rate and review any maternity products, babyand children’s gear, toys, or more.  The Product Ratings system can befound at www.AlphaMom.com and there are over 900 items from which to choose, organized in categories as diverse as Car Seats to Diapering.

Make sure your check out reviews by Celebrity Baby Blog staff.

You can be entered to win $1,000. Just register for the contestand complete 25 or more ratings at the Alpha Mom™ Product Ratingssystems and you are entered into a random drawing. See official contestrules for details. Your entries must be submitted by 11:59:59pm EST onSeptember 14, 2007.

by Stephanie, CBB Reviews Reader

My name is Stephanie and I’m a stroller addict.  I’ve had many strollers in the 27 months I’ve had kids (11 to be exact) and I would have more if I didn’t try to practice some sort of self control (and if my stroller budget was larger…)

So when I found out I was pregnant with my second child, I was very excited to look for double strollers.  My kids would be 20 months apart, there had to be all sorts of exciting doubles out there!  Turns out there are not that many options viable for my needs, but one really hit home:  The Mountain Buggy Urban Double. My dear husband offered it to me for Christmas — even he has embraced my love of strollers.

At first glance, the Mountain Buggy Urban Double (MBUD for short) seems huge and utilitarian.  A closer look and you discover a well crafted and very polished ride.  The MBUD is large, but at 28.5 inches width it fits through a standard doorway, a feat not many double all terrains can claim.  It can be used for shopping at the mall and at the grocery store. Being that it is an all terrain stroller, it really shines outside on sidewalks, pavement, gravel, grass or sand.  The swivel front wheels help the stroller glide effortlessly and can easily be steered with one hand (or one finger!)  The suspension is great, your kids won’t feel the bumps in the terrain at all.  If you plan on really hitting a bumpy road or for a fast walker, the front wheels can be very easily locked for safety

The stroller seats are deep, the canopy high enough for fairly large kids although I will say that this could be an area of improvement, my kids are tall and slim and I can see them outgrowing the stroller in headroom before anything else. The MBUD sports a simple single canopy, I think I would prefer a dual canopy for each seat since in most cases you would want to cover up the baby while the toddler prefers the sun, but for those with children the same age, it may not be an issue. 

The MBUD will accommodate a newborn since the seats can lay flat but Mountain Buggy offers many great accessories such as a carrycot for the baby and a car seat adapter. The seats adjust easily to countless positions and the seat back is high. Storage is fantastic, a huge basket with many pockets is easily accessible under the stroller.

This is the type of stroller that both mommy and daddy will be happy to use so the adjustable handlebar is a welcomed feature for those of us who aren’t quite as tall as our spouses.   The one step fold is simple but the stroller is quite large in folded position, those without a large trunk may be in trouble here.  At 35lbs, it is no lightweight but I find it manageable to put it in the car by myself and believe me I’m not weightlifter!

Mountain Buggies are solid, very well made and engineered. A few years back, a nanny was walking a baby in a MBUD (sibling was at school) in New York City when a wall collapsed on them both. The baby escaped unharmed from the accident.  That is a testament to the strength of the stroller.  The stroller can hold up to 120lbs of children so it’s a purchase that will serve you well for a very long time.

2007 Mountain Buggy Urban Doubles sell for $669 and come in a variety of colors (the chocolate dot is SO yummy!) A designer model retails for $699 with fashion inspired fabrics and an Elite model retails for $789 and adds padded canvas seats and harness straps, a cup holder and a diaper bag.

For more information, go to www.mountainbuggyusa.com.

Self-proclaimed stroller addict, Stephanie, is an avid reader of CBB Reviews! Check out her blog at http://steph-will.blogspot.com. 

If you would like to submit a review to CBB Reviews, contact us at cbbreviewsATcelebrity-babies.com.

Check out these posts by some great parenting bloggers:

• MamaPop: Fergie PWND:Alanis Morrisette’s hilarious cover of the Black Eyed Peas singer’s hit
• Classy Mommy Reviews "Momzillas": Bring on the Mom Lit! Classy Mommy previewsMomzillas – written by Jill Kargman, best-selling co-author of "TheRight Address". This book is fabulous! You will not be disappointed.
• Clever Parents: Clutter Busting – Got the Shoes Blues?A step by step guide on what to do with all those shoes you have and how to make room for the ones you’ve been eyeing up…
• Babyfaces – Photo of the Week: How funny to see that the primping and preening starts early!
• Boston Mamas: Potty Peace of Mind:An impressively compact and affordable travel potty that provides peace of mind in germy public restrooms
• Celebrity Baby Blog Reviews: Do you hear the buzzing of the new spring Bumble Bags?Already a popular brand with celebrity moms, Bumble Bags introduces their Toddler Changing Kit and new patterns for spring.
• Celebrity Baby Blog: Stealing Bridget Moynahan’s Look, Forty Weeks Style:Pregnant Bridget Moynahan glowed on the MarthaStewart Show, wearing a Diane Von Furstenberg sleeveless wrap dress.Here’s how you can steal Bridget’s style (and save some money)!
  
•  Coochicoos: New Twists on Two Familiar Items:See how lunchboxes and a booster chair get reinterpreted
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Do you like the new weekly lunchtime links feature?

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• Celebrity Baby Blog Reviews: Valco Baby Runabout TriMode Stroller:An all terrain stroller with a toddler seat!
• Celebrity Baby Blog: First Annual Celebrity Baby Blog Awards winners announced:With awards season out of the way for theirparents, the real stars of Hollywood– the babies– can finally addsome bling of their own to the family mantles!
• Classy Mommy: Aqua2Go – Water in a Drink Box:Drink Water Juice Box Style! Check out our video review of our toddler sipping Aqua2Go out of her "Dwink" Box this weekend!
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• MamaPop: Celebrity Pregnancy Bodies: How Do They Do It? Ever wonder how new celebrity moms seem to snap right back into shape? MamaPop investigates.
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