Awesome Totes for Moms by Robilena

One of my favorite websites is Etsy for the amazing selection of independent artists, seamstresses and craft makers. One of my favorite finds is Robilena which is a selection of handmade totes.

Here is little insight about the gal behind the seams, Robin:


I started sewing when I was in elementary school, then didn't sew for many years.  About two years ago, I started making tote bags, trying out different patterns, and combining and adapting them as I went along.  I was having so much fun making the bags, that I decided to start up my Etsy page.  I get most of my fabric at a wonderful independent fabric store in Santa Cruz, California.  It is the same store where I took sewing lessons when I was a kid.


I love playing with fabric pairings and most of my bags have at least 2 and usually 3 or 4 different fabrics.  My preferred fabric to work with is 100% cotton, lightweight fabric, which makes the bags totally washable.  I want these bags to last, so I make sure to have not exposed raw edges on the fabric. 

One reasons I think moms will love them: durability!
All the seams are either hidden on the reversible bags, or on the unlined/non-reversible bags, the seams are all finished so that there are no raw edges.  The handles are very securely sewn on as well, so the bags can hold a fair amount of weight without any worries. They are also a great size for kids to have their own personal bags.

And what woman doesn't love variety? Between the attractive patterns, various sizes and some pieces being reversible, moms have the option to choose which bag fits their need best.

The smaller bags are the perfect size to use as a casual purse, the medium bags are great for the grocery store (which is a very green idea!) and the larger sizes are great as overnight bags, or carry-ons.


To top it all off the prices are very reasonable. With some bags averaging out at $30 why buy a mass produced bag at Target when you can have your own custom made bag with love in every stitch and manage not to break the bank!

To check out and purchase other awesome bags visit Robin's Etsy shop at www.Robilena.etsy.com!

Moms Have Fun With Retro Bathing Suits!

We all haven't had a chance to get out bodies to the pre-baby stage but why should that stop us from looking good at the beach Now that summer is beginning to kick off we can begin to find those perfect swimsuits that will flatten and flatter our figures.

One site that I've found that offers great retro bathing suits is Popina. Not only are they fun but they have many different selections from one-piece and two-piece suits to tankinis. Above are just a few of the the awesome retro styles fromt the site. Check out Popina for other styles and selections

Moms Love Movies

So this has been a running posting on MITC for many months but it has been such a great resource that I have made it a staple for moms to read! With all the new updates  that will be taking place it will be rotating with other posting and will also be easy to find on the MITC blog if you search for Baby Pictures.

With the spring weather looming just around the corner, it will be the perfect time to grab a mom, the kids and catch a flick!

View this link to see theaters nationwide.

It's 2010, time to get healthy...damn

So despite the consistently cool weather, spring is around the corner. Well around the corner, down the block, three buildings down. Regardless, it’s coming. The holidays are over, are resolutions set,now it’s time to figure out how to shed last year pounds and fit into those bathing suits that didn't fit in 2009!

After having my son last year and watching my body giggle and fold in ways I have only seen in movies, I am anxious to start a regiment that I can stick to that doesn’t include joining a gym for $100 a month and considering protein bars as a “meal”. While I can admit that not having the Pizza Hut $10 special every other day might help I can’t seem to get stimulated enough to want to have that morning jog or convince my brain that the Cherry Cheesecake Jubilee yogurt tastes remotely like cheesecake. Perhaps if there was a Big Mac with cheese or a Filet o’ Fish yogurt I’d be more inclined. (Don't make that face, you know you'd eat it, too.)

So what is one lazy mother to do to get pumped up? Eating right and a simple work out will is always the answer but it's much easier said than done.

Here are a few recipes that I’ve found that are not only simple to make but won’t bust your budget.

Breakfast

• Eggs with peppers
• Cottage cheese and fruit
• Fresh berries, yogurt, granola

Lunch

• Greens and Apple salad
• Smashed Potato salad
• Chicken and Pepper Stir Fry

Dinner

• Turkey and Lettuce wraps
• Tilapia and Vegetables
• Zucchini with Parmesan

Exercise

As far as exercise, as much as a gym will increase the weight loss in these times not everyone can afford to pay for those amenities. For now long walks to the store or to the daycare can easily count. Take the train to work? Use the stairs instead of the escalators. What I have started to do is to play and lift my son some more. Now that he is pushing over 20 pounds lifting him in the air up and down a few times is bound to make for a difference. What’s even more beneficial is that by play with my son and chasing him around is making HIM tired, therefore knocking him out right at bedtime. Everyone wins!

Setting a goal also helps to keep to momentum (as long as it’s realistic). I have gained about 20 pounds since having my son and would love to lose them by the summer. My first hurdle will be ten whole pounds. I am determined to lose this by March 1^st. (Is that realistic? Ugh, keep your fingers crossed!)

So who’s with me???

Do you have any techniques or recipes that help to shed pounds?

Mommy By Mistske - my new piece of literature

You know when you have something really good and you always just expect it to be there and then one day, when you least expect it, it's gone? Well that was how I felt about the bookstore in the building that I work at.

The B. Dalton bookstore that has homed my "What's different?" books, the first book I ever bought my son as well as various cookbooks that I plan on using one day was going out of business.

To commemorate the store's closing I thought I'd buy one last book to hold to it's memory. Though the store was almost bare, I was able to find a diamond in the rough.

I am always on the look out for mom books that are inspiring or relatable. The title of the book sold me 50%- Mommy By Mistake and then the other 50 was the inscription. The books is about a self-employed woman who was living her single life to the fullest when she became pregnant out of the blue. Though I am only five chapters in, the book is hitting very close to home so far. From her pregnancy, to wanting to gain friends, to the difficulty of traveling with a baby, the book is hard to put down.

While I love to get lost in my (well...my boyfriend's) Zune on the way to work, I have now dedicated that time to read this book. It must be a gripping novel since I'm nervous about where this is going to lead. Will someone get pregnant again? Will she bump into her son's father and tell him that he has a son? Will she get married? Will someone's baby get hurt? All very plausible...

Now...on to chapter 7. Stay tuned....

Finally! Porn For Moms!!

Maybe not the porn you were expecting, but it'll definitely get your emotions off with sweet, dreamable quotes that we all wish our boyfriends or husbands would say.

Here are some examples:

"Now, remember, it's my turn to do the midnight feeding, so don't get up!"

"I'll do the dishes."

"I'll take care of the baby, you're working." (A quote from MY boyfriend!)

Chicago- Transit raises unFare (get it??)

So last year we had a fare increase that went from $1.75 to $2.00 per ride and a decrease in transfers. Now we are being threatened again with a fare hike to a preposterous $3.00/ride and even increasing the 7 day pass from $23 to $30 dollars! Chicago, jeez! You already put a higher tax on alcohol and snack food so now I can't afford to drink away my sorrows or binge on junk food, now I can barely afford to take the bus to work...or to the store to buy the overpriced booze!


How sad that site will be, me riding a bike with a basket full of wine, chocolate...and my baby! Please, CTA, save me the embarrassment!

..... I don't want to look like this mom....

For a city that was ready to invest almost $3 BILLION dollars to host the Olympics, it's astonishing that they are about to bleed our pockets dry for us to try to travel in the city. Chicago is also working hard to become a very green city, though if these changes were to occur it would cause more people to purchase cars therefore adding to the pollution of the city....and the world! Considering Chicago used to be deemed one of the fattest cities in the states, maybe this is some underlined tactic to get people to start walking more. Now THAT would be impressive.