I’m slowly learning there really is no work/life balance thing for me. Things go a lot more smoothly around here if the balance shifts in favor of family and so I’ll be taking some time off from posting Daily Dish reviews during the holidays. I might even find time to send out Christmas cards and make a few neighbor plates. (Who am I kidding?)

I’ll be back in full review force on January 5th. Until then enjoy some hot cocoa or hot apple cider while catching my favorite reviews from 2009. Happy holidays!
…

Em’s Favorite Reviews, 2009 Edition

Babycape—the superhero of winter coats
Loved testing the Babycape last winter and plan to use it again this winter season. Beautiful, soft, toasty and perfect for infants and toddlers. And guess what? One cape will last your child several seasons!

Pop Fly hits a home run with my kids
My kids still love Justin Roberts’ Pop Fly CD. It’s one of the most fun, danceable, groovable children’s CDs out there.

Time to change tactics!
My toddler has yet to be potty trained (she’s the most stubborn of the bunch) and so we’re still utilizing the diaper/wipes case. My favorite to date is JJ Cole’s Tactic Changing Purse. It goes from car to gym to church and is the perfect size for wipes, diapers, ointment and even a small change of clothes. (Fortunately we don’t need that anymore!)

I just can’t get enough!
We have featured See Kai Run multiple times on the Daily Dish and I never get tired of these perfect little children’s shoes. The pink Mary Jane Jennaes pictured in this post were worn by my daughter nearly every day of the week until she could no longer squish fit into them. We wore those shoes out and yet they still looked great enough to hand down to my friend’s little girl. Quite possibly my favorite pair of shoes Livi owns…or owned. {sniff}

Anne Taintor—better than popping Prozac
Anne Taintor’s vintage humor makes me laugh out loud every time I see it. It’s so my style. And yes, I’ve often wished I’d actually told my girlfriend to “stop me before I volunteer again.”

The HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition: The hottest clutch to hit the runway!
I have used my HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition notebook (or Vivienne Tam for short) more times than I can count—and had more women ooh and aah over it every time I pull it out of my handbag. I still need to wipe the drool off the keyboard when I’m done tweeting, Facebooking, emailing and updating my blog via this handy handbag-sized notebook.

Add some ambiance to your favorite aroma
I use my Contempo Candle Warmer Lamp every day. I love this alternative to sooty candles and the danger an open flame around a curious preschool-age boy poses. I just replaced my fruity pomegranate candle with a more appropriate spice one for the holidays. The smell is wonderful and the light gives off just the right glow in the evening.

Hapari makes swimsuit shopping a happy experience
Fabulous tankinis and bikinis in super fun prints combined with high-quality fabric and construction make these suits some of my faves. I’m also a big fan of their Shore, a sort of half-shirt-meets-cap-sleeve style layering tee that I’ve found works wonderfully well under dresses.

Photofiddle Dad this Father’s Day—he’ll love it!
I have my Photofiddled canvas artwork displayed on our dresser and not a day goes by that I don’t absolute love looking at it. Nothing like creating a work of art from a digital file!

Flip goes the world!
By now you’ve heard of Flip video and their handy, dandy line of mini handheld video cameras. I have two, the Mino and the UltraHD and the UltraHD is by far my favorite. Though not as compact as the Mino it takes superb video. We use our Flip all the time; so much so we forget we own a “real” handheld video camera. That thing has an inch of dust on it by now.

Kickin’ it on a mini kick scooter
George rocked and rolled his Kickboard USA mini kick scooter all summer long. Though we discovered leaving it in direct sunlight for extended periods of time fades the beautiful orange color, this is still my son’s favorite scooter and I love that it’s more stable than the Razor ones my girls ride. If you’re in the market for a preschool-friendly scooter, this is it!

CurlyQ Cuties for your little cutie!
Looking for a unique children’s gift? Heck, even an adult would love the custom monsters you can make using CurlyQ Cuties’ online Monster-Maker. George’s CurlyQ Cutie is still one of his favorite “reviews”—he loves that thing!

My new favorite tote
My Ann Judge Everyday tote served me well during our last vacation and it’s still my go-to bag when I need to pack more than the necessities like lip gloss, wallet and cell phone. Well made, beautiful and perfect for travel overseas and around town.

Jewelry storage disguised as art
Beautiful fabric + hand-finished wood dowels + convenient hooks = the perfect way to manage/display/organize/make sense of your earring collection. Need I say more?

Can functional be fun? Heck, yes!
Though one of my most recent reviews it still makes my fave list for 2009. The wit and real-life wisdom of Knock Knock’s products make for some serious chuckles if not outright laughter. Perfect for gift giving whether for yourself or that annoying coworker.

Our review dates are already filling up for the first quarter of 2010. If you would like your product or site featured on the Daily Dish, shoot us an email at dailydish{at}boutiquecafe.com.

See you in 2010!

The Daily Dish is taking a little time off so its contributors can spend a little more time with their families. We know how much you love our reviews and hope you don’t go through serious withdrawals over the next two weeks. If so, just grab a handful of holiday candy–it works well for us! We will be back in full swing on January 5th with your daily dose of the latest must-have products for mom and baby. Until then, have a wonderful holiday season and a very merry New Year!

It’s Retro Week on the Daily Dish! We’re posting some of our fave past reviews to share with you. Discover (or re-discover) great products that we’re still loving and talking about years later! Welcome to Retro week.

Changing Baby? You’ll thank your lucky stars for the most innovative change pad I’ve ever tried – and I’ve had 4 babies so I’ve been around the block a few times in the diaper arena. Meet the Patemm Pad, you’ll be such fast friends. The first thing I loved about the Patemm Pad was the circular disk comes in such attractive patterns of vinyl oil cloth (I loved the Jack Martin for my son Noah). The pad then smartly folds up into a convenient tote you can take anywhere. I only had to look inside the Patemm to find true magic. Not only did they make the pad large enough for baby changing or a clean play area, but Patemm has added spectacular pockets all around to hold all your baby essentials in just one piece! Lug that luggage no longer, simply stock your Patemm Pad with diapers, wipes, a change of clothing and a few toys and you’re ready to set out with baby for a new adventure.

Pick yourself up a Patemm Pad and be the coolest mama on the block! Well unless you live on my block, that title is now taken. – Daria

Looking for a great solution to keep your kids hydrated in a healthy way this summer? I know personally the woes and struggle it can be to keep your child’s beverages healthy but still drinkable. Bot beverages are a parent’s best buddy, I can’t wait to tote them around for my kids in the heat of our holiday time knowing that they aren’t injesting a ton of sugar.

Bot was created in 2006 by a husband and wife team (Cricket and Brian Allen). As parents of twin daughters, these savvy parents wanted to find a healthy, low sugar drink for their girls, but they weren’t able to find any on the grocery store shelves. That’s when mother invention stepped in, and they decided to create with a tasty and “good for you” drink that will hydrate kids without the sugar high.

I was sent several bottles of the Bot beverages to test with my team of taste testing critics (my kids). Let’s face it, if the kids won’t drink it then no matter how good for them it is, it won’t fly. We tried them both chilled and served at room temperature, the consensus was that everyone preferred the chilled Bot in our family. They come in subtle flavors of Lemon, Orange, Grape and Berry, and are fortified with Vitamin B which is essential for growth, energy production and energy release. The kids loved the Orange and Grape the very best. For my husband and I who also took our taste test, I loved the Lemon and he was a big fan of Berry.

Bot really stands out as fortified water with 75% less sugar than juice (no artificial flavor/sweeteners /preservatives), but still boasting a lovely flavor to entice your children to drink up. Of course developing good eating habits while your children are young will not only set them on a good course for overall health, but ease you the pain of trying to pull your kids off of sugar if they are accustomed to it. If you have little ones that love drinking soda or juices, they may shy away from Bot at first as they would notice the lack of sugar, but keep with it and keep offering them the healthy alternative, things will turn around.

The packaging for Bot is outstanding and definitely branded to appeal to kids and parents alike. Finding bot beverages is easy peasey, just visit their website and place your zip code in their handy store locater web page.

The next time you find yourself reaching for a juice box to satisfy your childs thirst, give Bot a shot! – Daria

Many tee shirt company’s these days work in mass volume creating gigantic orders, it works great for the big guys, but for those of us who love the personal touch ordering from a smaller company can have real benefits. Happily I discovered an incredible company called Wee Wee Wear that designs and hand screens all of their tees with tender loving care.

Wee Wee Wear was created by a new mommy with a background in art. Her goal was to bring unique and trendy tees to infants and toddlers. Each garment is carefully inspected before it leaves the studio, this gives the buyer great peace of mind to know that their special item will be “gift ready” when it arrives.

I was sent the most darling tee for review, the “I Love Ya Like Cake” tee. It looks absolutely precious on my youngest son Noah, and I adore the saying it makes me smile whenever he wears it. But that’s not all, Wee Wee Wear have many charming sayings and adorable graphics to add to your child’s wardrobe. Some of my personal favorites include : Backseat Driver, Mama’s Little Muffin and Happy Camper tee to name a few.

All of the garments from Wee Wee Wear are beautiful 100% Cotton, super soft and high quality. The thing that you’ll really adore, and will keep you coming back for more is their packaging…it’s AWESOME! Hand packaged with care in a plastic zipper pouch and adorned with the cutest sticker. Their packaging definitely makes a statement and is ideal for gift giving. Take Wee Wee Wear all the way home. – Daria

At the Daily Dish we love products that help to inspire young minds and empower children for future success. We’re always on the hunt for clothing that looks good, wears well and makes your child feel special. We recently discovered a company called “Dream Kids” who create empowering clothing for your little super stars.

Created by a mom and child development expert Kelly Pryde, we were excited to see that Dream Kids products are “designed to celebrate and nurture each child’s unique potential for greatness”. We think that is cool and definitely something our readers want to know about! (oh and did I mention that they are a Canadian company? something near and dear to my heart)

I was sent a very special tee from Dream Kids to review, on the front the message was “Anything But Ordinary” and that is definitely how I feel about my son who has now confiscated it from me. Noah’s only three and not able to read yet, but the reaction that he received when he wore it was enough for him…he loves this shirt. The Dream Kids clothing line is 100% cotton, ultra soft and comfy to wear. Best of all it’s machine washable and came out great when we washed it, it fact it was even softer. I want the very best for my children and one of my greatest desires is for them to realize their incredible potential, how unique and wonderful they are. With sayings like “Here to Change the World” , “All I have to be is me” and “There’s a Little Hero in All of Us”, Dream Kids is well on their way to help kids discover themselves and dream big.

If the philosophy behind Dream Kids is something that inspires you, then you’ll definitely want to sign up for their monthly newsletter offering suggestions for putting the ideas into action, helping you grow your family in wonderful ways.

Empower your own little Dream Kid – a wonderful world awaits! – Daria

GIVEAWAY: Dream Kids is giving away one tee shirt of the winners choice! Simply leave a comment with a valid email address below and share with us the empowering tee shirt saying you love the most from Dream Kids. We’ll choose the winner from the comments and contact them via email. Deadline: March 26, 2008 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

WINNER ANNOUNCED!!! Scarlett! Congratulations on being drawn as our winner from our Dream Kids Daily Dish review on Boutique Cafe. Dream Kids is awarding you a tee of your choice from their incredible website. All you need to do is supply them with the style and size you adore, along with your shipping information.

Thank you to everyone who entered this fantastic giveaway! The response was phenomenal, we love the message behind Dream Kids and hope you’ll support this great business.

Jessica Denay co-founder of Hot Moms Club joins Daria to chat about how to become a “Hot Mom”, and be your best you. Check out her new book The Hot Mom’s Handbook. Daria also talks about our new feature the Daily Dish which is now available in it’s own RSS feed, if you subscribe to an RSS reader you can have the Daily Dish refreshed each morning and enjoy the must-have product reviews for you, your children and your home. Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Boutique Cafe to all of our own Hot Mommy listeners! Leave your comments, we have a listener comment show coming up soon and would love to feature your thoughts on Boutique Cafe. ** Giveaway – Jessica Denay and the girls at Hot Moms Club have supplied us with some wonderful HMC tanks and books for a few lucky listeners, be sure to sign up for our Boutique Cafe mailing list and we will draw the winners on Mother’s Day. Winners to be announced next show.