Slings up for grabs!

Simple Things has been hosting a Babywearing Bonanza featuring various babywearing businesses and charities. She's done some interesting interviews and introduced us to some great organizations. But the best part? She's giving away several babywearing items, including a Sleepy Wrap, Slingling pouch, Posh Papoose ring sling, and Peekaru vest. The giveaways are still open to entries until next week, so if you're a babywearer--or considering becoming one--be sure to throw in your name.

I Was Worth the Wait

A simple onesie and hat set that says it all. The perfect shower gift for your friend who braved infertility or adoption on her way to motherhood. Let her know you noticed all she went through even as you're celebrating what lies ahead.

(Uncommon Goods does a nice gift wrap, too.)

Crayons on the Go

I'm always keeping an eye out for small items to stash away as birthday/big brother/big sister/holiday gifts. Handmade items are especially great, as you can find many unique toys that a family is unlikely to already own.

One that I recently picked up was a doodle caddy from Etsy store Blossom Toys. Eight crayons and a small pad of paper ready to roll up and toss into a purse or diaper bag for amusement anywhere. I liked its compact size (about 4" x 6" when folded) and fun retro prints. The pad is a standard size that will be easy for parents to replace.

For an even better bargain, the Feather Hen shop offers a similar crayon tote for less than half the price, but with fewer fabric choices. Older kids might appreciate Creative Keiki's colored pencil version.

Mangoes Made Easy

My two-year-old adores mango. Me, not so much. I hate the time-consuming, awkward slicing process that inevitably leaves me with a sticky, messy pit with a lot of wasted fruit still attached.

Until I found the Oxo Good Grips Mango Splitter. I admit to giving a skeptical eye roll when I first saw it. Does the world really need another overpriced, single use kitchen gadget? Probably not, but it's been a brilliant addition to our kitchen just the same. It's the perfect solution to the problem of how to cut a mango without the mess.

It works just like an apple corer/slicer. One quick push and you have two clean halves ready to slice or dice. It's that easy. If you start with a ripe, firm mango, there is almost no mess. Significantly less fruit goes unused, which does my frugal heart good. And we eat a lot more mangoes now, which makes for one happy mango-loving toddler.

Batik for Baby

At an art festival earlier this summer, we stumbled upon the work of contemporary batik artist Lisa Telling Kattenbraker. Her whimsical, richly detailed batiks were both gorgeous and (quite understandably) way out of our price range. Happily for us, she also offered affordable giclee prints in a number of sizes. They came nicely matted and ready for framing.

We picked up this print for our daughter's bedroom:

This one I plan to send to my sister-in-law for her birthday, if I can part with it:

There were so many I loved that it was hard to choose:

It is so pleasurable to walk into my daughter's room and see original (or, as in this case, close to original) artwork than a generic piece from a giant retailer. It reminds me of the sunny afternoon when we purchased it, chatting with the artist as the baby squeaked in her carrier.