You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby

Hello again Philly girls, after a VERY long hiatus! I must admit I have been cheating on the blog with Facebook, and a girl only has so much time to spend staring at a screen and typing her way to a carpal tunnel coma. Some things have changed...better apartment, better job, but same good man and vertically challenged dog. And while Facebook is undeniably addictive, I always knew I would return to the blog when I had something important to discuss. And now, I do! For you see I must tout the brilliant talent and discerning photographic eye of my dear friend and all-around good guy, Chuck Anerino.

Chuck is one of those lucky people who stumble upon hidden talent in the most unexpected ways. Around the time he was becoming a dad he got a top-of-the-line digital SLR, read a few guidebooks, and presto - instant artistic genius was born. He found he could capture the innocent beauty of babes and breathe new life into the tried and tired family portrait. When you look at Chuck's work, you don't just see cute kids - you see joy, laughter, ambition, and struggle. You see real feeling. You see a window into their souls.

So for all you Urban (and not-so-urban) Mommies out there - and I know there are a lot of you - who are dreading waiting on line with thirty fussy three-year-olds at the Sears Portrait Studio, give Anerino Originals a try. And don't worry, Chuck's not some snooty artiste where it's his way or the highway - he's a regular guy and devoted dad, and he knows that parenting comes with plenty of its own hassles. Portraits should be easy, and he'll accommodate to your needs - he'll travel to you, or help pick a good spot if you need inspiration. All at very reasonable fees. Let Chuck show you how beautiful your baby really can be!

Anerino Originals
http://anerinooriginals.blogspot.com
anerinooriginals@gmail.com
302.798.0757

Useful Gifts the Series -Part 1 Labels

My days of having Sharpie marker staining my hands are over. Thank goodness for "Stuck on You" personalized stickers! Most mommies spend considerable amounts of time labeling their kids bottles, sippy cups, clothes, shoes and toys. Working mommies are one with the Sharpie, dutifully scribbling their child's name on every blessed thing that their kid brings to school or day care. I have recently said goodbye to my multitude of permanent markers...which by the way are not dishwasher proof on sippy cups and food containers.

I have become a huge fan of these adorable personalized stickers which cleverly adorn just about everything my son owns. This incredibly smart product is a fabulous gift for all the special mommies in your life. Actually, if my husband is reading this (which he better be) I would be very happy to get some of the shoe and clothing labels for our son. The web site http://www.stuckonyou.biz/ is very cute and easy to navigate and their selection is unbelievable. They have small dot stickers and the larger character stickers featured above. For kids with allergies they have personalized no nuts, no eggs and no dairy stickers for food containers and lunchboxes. The site allows you to pick from hundreds of icons, colors and fun shapes. They also offer personalized gift tags (way cheaper than buying a card for every birthday party our little social butterflies attend), luggage tags, pencil/marker stickers, shoe and clothing labels and personalized notepads and calling cards for all those playdate connections. For those moms who are trying to potty train or get their kids to do their chores, "Stuck on You" offers great motivational sticker charts.

You too can abandon your Sharpie markers and just pop these microwave and dishwasher safe stickers on any and all of your childrens belongings. Add these to your Holiday wish lists...I always embrace the useful stocking stuffer (yes honey, I do consider diamonds to be a useful stocking stuffer) and will certainly be ordering some for my mommie friends. Stay tuned for more useful mommie gift ideas!

The Bugaboo Uncovered

Yes, I am one of the legions of urban mommies who parade around this town pushing their pride and joy in a Bugaboo...and I love it! I use and abuse this stroller everyday and it still climbs out of Philly potholes better than Tiger Woods can get out of a sand trap. We purchased the Bugaboo Frog after hours of research online as well as in-store. My husband created spreadsheets for stroller comparison and price justification and decided that the Bugaboo was the only stroller that met all of our needs and would do so from our child's infancy through toddlerhood. I loved its sleek design, colors, functionality and convenience but the only problem I had was the pricetag. Spending over 700 dollars on a stroller may sound crazy to some people (including myself) but once I saw the Bugaboo, nothing else caught my eye. After about a year of using it, I'm glad I decided to purchase it because it still looks and works as if it is brand new and it has easily and smoothly navigated the craters found throughout Philly's streets. That being said there are some drawbacks to the Cadillac of baby carriages such as the notable lack of cup holders and a snack tray. Driven by my love for the Bugaboo I set out on a quest to find a solution to these flaws and make urban mommydom easier..which is what this blog is all about! So, this is what I discovered...the best cup holder is the liquid holster which can be found at http://www.liquidholster.com/ and the only snack tray/sippy cup holder that works well with the Bugaboo is the Siena tray found at http://www.carryyou.com/. The Bugaboo comes equipped with about 6 gallons of storage space and the average toddler travels with about 10-12 gallons of "stuff" so additional storage is essential. Bugaboo has addressed this issue with their stroller diaper bag which retails for a mere $100...mind you this is in addition to the 700 plus dollars you have spent on the stroller itself not to mention the pricey footmuff. I do have the Bugaboo stroller bag, and it does work fabulously, but had I known that a company called Skip Hop makes stroller bags retailing for $64 I probably would have saved a few bucks. I know many Bugaboo pushing mommies who say they couldn't live without their Skip Hop bags which can be purchased at http://www.skiphop.com/. That my friends is all the insider info I have garnered on souping up my baby's phat ride...as far as I know they haven't made rims for the Bugaboo yet!

Linvilla Orchard Pictures

Adventures at Linvilla Orchard

Apple, Apple..Pick, Pick..PLEASE (which is toddler for immediately if not sooner)! The true sign of fall...The toddler's persistent and enthusiastic request to go apple picking. Philly mommies answer this call by packing up the bugaboo and heading to bucolic Media, PA home of Linvilla Orchards. Owen has been going apple picking since he was in utero but this was the first harvest season that he was an active participant. Linvilla Orchard received a resounding two thumbs up from all parties involve in our picking adventure. The orchard is about 40 minutes from center city and is well worth the drive. There is plenty of fun to be had picking apples but Linvilla offers much more than just fresh fruit. Owen had a blast at the petting zoo where the deer happily ate corn feed out of his little hand. He played hard on their impressive playground but opted out of a pony ride and face painting. He enjoyed climbing among the giant pumpkins in their festive and aptly named "Pumpkinland" display. We happened to be visiting on the day of Linvilla's annual applefest so Owen had the added pleasure of seeing Dora the Explorer and attempted to rush the makeshift stage as Elmo was doing the Hokey Pokey (he's got a bit of punk rock edge at the tender age of 16 months).

Owen was not very patient while I perused the Orchard Store's baked goods, marinades, fruit spreads and generally delicious goodies as well as their gorgeous collection of mums and other plants but hey a mom needs to shop! He was, however, very focused while sampling apple cider doughnuts (do not pass these up they are incredible) and the wide variety of fried delicacies available in their grill and picnic area. Once fortified by our deliciously unhealthy lunch (yes, I ate an entire chocolate covered caramel apple and declared that my lunch while insisting that Owen eat a few bites of his grilled chicken...I figure I have about 2 more years of being a hypocrite before he can really call me on it so, I better take advantage of it while I can) we began the task at hand...apple picking. Owen rode on his dad's shoulders and became very adept at picking the most perfect apples and then hurling them with all of his might into the basket thus turning them into less then perfect apples.

I must say Linvilla Orchards set the scene for one of my favorite days with my family. It was a beautiful day filled with fun activities, new discoveries, hilarious moments and fantastic photo opportunities! We have to go back because Owen was too tuckered out to attempt the hayride or the corn maze! The best time to go is weekdays because it is far less crowded but we still had a great time amongst the Applefest hordes!

Linvilla Orchards, 137 W. Knowlton Rd. Media, PA 19063, 610-876-7116, www.linvilla.com